REOOLLEOTIOJ^S 


OF  THE 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARD 


OOMPRISINO  THE 


PROMINENT  EVENTS  IN  THE  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


FAMOUS    SEVEl^TH    EEGIMENT 


NEW  YORK  MILITIA 


'•    •        •      • 


BY  AN  EX-ORDERLY  SERGEANT 


A  Veteran  of  the  National  Gtuard 


.7-^-^"^ 


NEW    YORK 

J.  M.  BRADSTREET  &  SON 

1868 


T3 


'     '  Efitered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868, 
y*  *r| ••*•/*;   •       I    <"■■■         :  By  JOHN  MASON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  and  for  the  Southern  District 

of  New  York. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  manuscript  of  these  "Recollections,"  having  lain  disre- 
garded for  two  or  three  years,  happened  to  fall  under  the  notice  of 
the  publishers,  who  saw  at  a  glance  that  it  contained  much  that 
must  greatly  interest  the  members  and  friends  of  the  distinguished 
Corps  of  which  it  treats,  and  they  took  steps  to  possess  and  pub- 
lish it  The  work  certainly  makes  no  pretension  to  the  style  and 
polish  that  would  indicate  a  practiced  writer,  and  the  first  intent 
was  to  have  it  rewrought;  but  its  subjection  to  the  anvil  and  ham- 
mer of  a  professional  smith  would  involve  the  necessity  of  drawing 
the  temper  of  the  metal,  and  it  was  possible,  and  indeed  probable, 
that  in  hammering  it  into  new  shape,  and  giving  it  literary  accu- 
racy and  polish,  the  work  might  yet  lack  the  simplicity  character- 
istic of  truthfulness — the  peculiar  temper  that,  with  all  its  imperfec- 
tions, imparts  so  much  interest  to  its  details  and  descriptions.  It  is, 
therefore,  retained  in  the  shape  in  which  it  was  found,  in  the  belief 
that  its  defects  in  style  and  method  may  be  compensated  by  the 
fidelity  and  fullness  of  the  narration,  and  the  intrinsic  merit  of  the 
subject 

The  Publishers.  ' 


ivi52J87 


TO  THE  READER 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  supererogatory  in  the  writer  to  avow  that 
he  makes  no  pretension  to  any  of  the  art  or  skill  of  book-making, 
as  that  will  doubtless  sufficiently  appear  in  the  pages  of  the  work. 
He  wishes,  however,  to  remark,  in  explanation,  that,  having  been 
one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  National  Guard ;  from  its  "  early 
"  days  "  he  was  familiar  with  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  Corps, 
and,  although  in  a  subordinate  position,  had  a  hand  in  much  of  it ; 
and  was  in  the  habit  of  noting  down  various  circumstances  and 
events  of  interest  as  they  occurred  in  the  course  of  his  service. 
Having  also  gathered  up  some  notes  and  memoranda  by  others, 
and  observing  a  general  interest  and  desire  among  the  members  of 
the  Corps  to  learn  the  history  of  its  origin  and  "  early  days,"  he  was 
led  to  devote  some  leisure  hours,  in  the  intervals  of  a  close  and 
exacting  occupation,  to  the  jotting  down  of  such  things  as  he  could 
"  Recollect,"  and,  as  he  deemed,  might  be  interesting  and  amusing 
to  his  fiiends  of  the  past,  and  also  to  the  present  members  of  the 
Corps,  without,  however,  any  pretension  to  the  making  of  a  His- 
tory such  as  shovld  be  written  of  the  Regiment,  and  such  as  there 
is  a  demand  for,  but  rather  suggestive  of  such  an  undertaking  by 
some  more  competent  hand ;  nor  had  •  he  the  least  idea  that  his 
labors  would  ever  be  thought  worthy  of  a  general  publication; 
othei"s,  howbeit,  either  wisely  or  otherwise,  after  looking  over  its 
pages,  think  differently,  and  their  opinions  have  prevailed — so  it 
goes  to  the  printer. 

The  writer  is  conscious  that  the  subject  of  the  work — to  him 

"  A  dear,  enthusiastic  theme  "— 

has  led  him,  perhaps,  to  an  undue  indulgence  of  his  "esprit  de 
^^ corps;"  but  he  could  not  help  it — it  was  in  him,  and  if  it  be  a 
fault,  it  must  go  with  the  thousand  and  one  of  its  kindred  scattered 
through  all  the  pages  of  the  book; — "what  is  writ  is  writ" 


lote  ir 


THE    SEVENTH    EEGIMENT 

"was  bom  and  brought  up,"  until  1847,  as  the  Twenty-seventh 

Regiment^  N.  Y.  S.  A.,  having  been  organized 

under  that  name  in  1826. 

Some  of  its  antecedents,  thiis  : 


In  1800  there  was  "  The  Eegiment  of  Artillery,"  in  which  De 
Witt  Clinton  had  served  as  a  Major ; 

And  in  1802  a  Battalion,  called  the  "  Brigade  of  Artillery,"  which, 
in  1804,  was  organized  as  the  Second  Hegiment,  under  Colonel 
Lebbeus  Loomis — Kev.  Gardiner  Spring  was  subse- 
quently the  Chaplain — and,  in  1808,  was.  changed  to 
the  Ninth  Regiment  (the  old  Ninth). 

General  Jacob  Morton  commanded  the  Brigade  of  the  two  Eegi- 
ments,  called  "Morton's  Brigade." 

In  1806  Major  Andrew  Sitcher  commanded  a  Battalion,  in  which 

were  at  least  two  of  the  Companies — the  Second  and  the 

Fourth — of  the  present  Seventh  Regiment 


IV. 


NOTES  PRECEDENT. 


In  1807  the  Third  Eegiment  was  organized,  whicli  comprised 
Sitcher's  Battalion — Sitcher  the  ColoneL 

In  1809  the  Fourth  Regiment  was  organized,  Sitcher  appointed 
its  Colonel,  and  Salter  became  Colonel  of  the  Third 

In  1812  the  gallant  old  Eleventh  Regiment  was  organized, 

taking  part  of  the  Third  Regiment — probably  all  that  had 

composed  "  Sitcher's  Battalion  " — certainly  the 

present  Second  and  Fourth  Companies. 

In  1824  four  Companies — the  Second,  or  Infantry  Battalion  of 
the  Eleventh  Regiment — adopted  the  gray  uni- 
form and  the  name  of  "  National  Guard" 


1864 


TO 


1864 


COL.  WASHINGTON  R.  YERMILYE, 

THE    PRESIDENT  \} 

And  the  Gentlemen  poemerlt  Members  of  the  Eegiment,  ^'^'^ 

UNITED  IN  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE 

beterons  of  i\)t  National  ^uarir, 

ARE  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED  THESE 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  EARLY  DAYS 


OF 


NARRATED  BY  ONE  OF  THEIR  NUMBER,  AN 

EX-ORDERLY  SERGEANT; 

they  having  been  noted  down  at  odd  spells,  in  order 

"  *  To  rescue  from  oblivion  the  memory  of  former  events, 

"over  which   the   twilight   of  uncertainty  had   already 

1 


2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

"thrown  its  shadows,  and  the  night  of  forge tfulness  was 
"  about  to  descend  for  ever,"  as  well  as  to 

"  Write  out  fair  what  time  had  blurred," 

for  preservation,  within  reach,   and  for  the  use,   of  the 
future  historian  of  the  Renowned 

Seventh  Regiment  of  New  York  Militia. 

A  further  incentive,  beyond  the  mere  desire 

"  To  lead  obhvion  into  day," 

lita^  the  notion  that  the  interest  which  many  of  his  old 
: associates  in  arms,  and,  in  fact,  all  who  have  "worn  its 
"gray"  and  served  under  its  time  honored  old  Banners, 
continue  to  feel  in  the  high  character  maintained  by 
their  Glorious  Corps,  through  so  many  years,  might  find 
present  gratification,  even  in  the  prosy  garrulity  of  an 
"  ol'  Soger's  "  narrations  of  some  of  the  scenes  and  duties 
in  which  they  were  engaged  "long  time  ago,"  albeit 
presented  in  this  crude  and  unpolished  manner. 

Many  of  the  events  of  those  "  early  days,"  and  per- 
formances of  duty  herein  narrated,  in  which  some,  if 
not  the  most  of  us,  had  part,  are  interwoven,  we  are 
vain  enough  to  think,  in  some  degree,  with  the  progress 
and  advancement  of  the  Corps  to  its  present  distinction 
and  renown,  and  eminent  rank  in  the  public  estimation, — 
a  rank  and  eminence  which  was  gradually  acquired 
through  such  a  long  succession  of  years,  and  maintained, 
mainly,  by  the  high  standard  of  the  morale  of  its  com- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  3 

position  and  the  assiduous  application  of  its  Members, 
at  all  times,  to  the  sustaining  of  its  Drill  and  Discipline 
at  the  highest  degree  of  excellence ;  as  well  as  by  their 
elevated  training  and  gallant  bearing  in  all  Soldierly 
and  Gentlemanly  accomplishments. 

"Whilst  we  take  pleasure  in  reverting  to,  and  dwelling 
upon,  the  scenes  and  events  in  which  we  have  had  part, 
our  thoughts  will  sometimes  ramble  away  back  in  search 
of  the  origin  of  that  Martial  Spirit  which  has  so  dis- 
tinguished the  people  of  this  City,  and  produced  results 
so  surprising  and  so  gratifying ;  but  we  look  in  vain 
for  a  starting  point, — even  so  far  remote  as  to  the  first 
settlement  of  the  City ;  for,  on  recurring  to  the  annals 
of  those  "early  days,"  we  are  struck  with  the  Military 
Character  which,  in  a  degree,  pertained  to  many  of 
the  earliest  burghers ;  imbibed,  doubtless,  by  them  in 
the  great  wars  of  the  father  land,  and  retained  in  their 
migration  hither.  Even  the  sleepy  reign  of  Walter, 
the  Doubter,  has  left  abundant  evidence  of  a  Martial 
Spirit  amongst  the  people  of  his  day, — witness  the  ac- 
tivity with  which  they  resisted  the  encroachments  on 
their  Northern  and  Eastern  boundaries,  especially  the 
energy  with  which  the  Governor  pushed  forward  his 
power  in  the  direction  of  the  detested  Yankees,  and 
the  establishment  of  the  fortress  of  Ooed  Hoop  on  the 
Connecticut  river,  in  order  to  repel  and  circumscribe 
the  disposition  of  his  troublesome  and  hated  neighbors 


4  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

to  squat  nearer  and  nearer  to  his  seat  of  Government, — 
and  to  straggle  into  his  settlements, — and  to  poke  their 
noses  into  the  domestic  concerns  of  his  people. 

And  when  Walter  slept  with  his  fathers,  and  William, 
the  Testy,  governed  in  his  stead,  there  is  a  continuous 
stream  of  testimony  to  the  Warlike  Spirit  that  pervaded 
the  government  and  people  ;  albeit  he  did  not  always 
seek  the  ends  usually  attained  by  "  grim  visaged  War," 
with  "  bloody  noses  and  cracked  crowns  ;"  but  rather 
pursued  them  through  the  milder,  but  equally  hostile 
and  warlike,  proceeding  of  "Proclamations!"  against 
the  aggressions  of  his  enemies  ;  especially  his  Onion- 
raising  neighbors  of  Weathersfield  and  thereabouts,  who 
had  advanced  their  patches  nearly  up  to  the  walls  of 
his  strong  hold  of  "  Goed  Hoop"  under  the  very  noses, 
and  sometimes  actually  bringing  tears  to  the  eyes,  of  his 
redoubtable  garrison :  and  when,  on  one  sultry  day, 
whilst  his  valiant  soldiers,  having  eaten  a  hearty  dinner 
and  smoked  their  pipes,  were,  "  as  was  their  custom 
"  always  of  the  afternoon,"  all  soundly  sleeping,  the  Fort 
was  invaded  by  the  wily  foe,  and  the  garrison,  every 
mother's  son  of  them,  made  prisoners,  and  led,  one  by 
one,  by  the  nape  of  the  neck,  to  the  gate,  and  discharged 
with  a  kick  on  the  seat  of  honor,  to  find  their  way  back 
to  their  homes  as  best  they  could.  Language  cannot 
portray  the  awful  ire  of  the  testy  Governor  on  receiving 
the  tidings  thereof; — ^his  outraged  Martial  Spirit  could 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  5 

only  find  vent  in  a  constant  discharge,  for  three  days, 
of  a  string  of  oaths  and  anathemas,  in  "triple  X"  low 
Dutch,  against  his  hated  foes; — ^they  were  ^^dievenf" 
"  loosen-schalpen  /  "  **  deugenieten ! ! "  "  Schobbe-jack- 
"  en ! ! ! " — ^more  dreadful  to  hear  and  encounter  than  whole 
batteries  of  "  Parrotts,"  "  Dahlgrens,"  and  "Rodmans," 
or  the  hundred  or  thousand  pounder  artillery  of  these 
days  ; — he  even  swore  they  were  a  squatting !  bundling ! 
guessing!  questioning!  swapping!  pumpkin-eating!  cider- 
watering  ! !  horse-jockeying !  crew  ;  that  he  would  not 
dirty  his  hands  by  attempting  to  drive  them  back ! — all 
this  might  well  be  considered  too  dreadful  for  credence  ; 
but  is  it  not,  and  much  more,  written,  and  vouched,  too, 
by  the  greatest  and  most  renowned  historian  of  New 
Amsterdam,  the  veritable  Diederich  Knickerbocker,  him- 
self? 

And  when  we  come  to  the  reign  of  the  renowned 
Governor  Stuyvesant  the  mind  is  bewildered  in  the 
blaze  of  Military  Glory  that  encircles  its  history.  He 
was  surrounded  by  a  long  line  of  heroes  who  marched 
with  him  to  his  various  wars  ;  in  which  he  was  ever  accom- 
panied, also,  by  his  valiant  bosom  friend  and  sage  Coun- 
sellor, the  Gallant  (in  more  senses  than  one,  if  the  sage 
historian  before  referred  to  can  be  relied  on,  and,  we 
opine,  he  can,)  Van  Corlaer,  his  renowned  trumpeter. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  was  the  very  mirror  of  chivalry  j 


g  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

of  him  we  may  truly  say,  as  it  was  said  to  be  said  of 
another  great  and  renowned  knight,  '*  there  was  nothing 
"in  all  the  world  that  more  rejoiced  his  heart  than  the 
"pleasant  sounds  of  war."  His  whole  career,  from  the 
sending  of  his  defiance  to  the  Council  of  the  accursed 
Yankees,  and  delivered  under  their  very  noses  with 
the  sharpest  twang  of  Van  Corlaer's  trumpet,  to  the 
closing  scene  of  his  administration,  when,  overwhelmed 
by  a  superior  force,  the  sturdy  old  soldier  declared, 
with  an  oath,  that  he  would  rather  his  body  were  carried 
feet  foremost  out  of  his  citadel  than  to  sign  the  articles 
of  capitulation  and  surrender : — all  proving  a  Martial 
Spirit  of  the  most  exalted  character  in  the  Illustrious 
Governor,  which  was,  of  course,  shared  in  a  good  degree 
by  his  gallant  people. 


II. 


It  will  not  be  undertaken  in  these  brief  narrations 
to  trace  in  detail,  down  through  the  succeeding  years, 
all  the  debasing  influences  of  the  pudding-headed  En- 
glish, who  succeeded  to  the  Government,  which  were 
so  well  calculated  to  depress  and  crush  out  the  Martial 
8pirit  of  the  People  ;  for,  although  they  sometimes  en- 
gaged in  wars  and  over-reaching  contentions,  they  were 
always  with  the  feeble,  and  for  the  only  object  that  they 
ever  fight, — namely,  oppression  of  the  weak,  plunder, 
or  some  rascally  or  swindling  advantage  in  trade,  ever 
ignoring  all  sentiment  of  chivalry,  or  martial  or  personal 
honor.  The  seed,  however,  that  had  been  sown  by  the 
valiant  Dutch  in  the  "  early  days,"  could  not  be  erad- 
icated ;  it  had  fallen  in  strong  soil,  and  was  too  well 
implanted  not  to  spring  up  and  come  forth,  in  subsequent 
years,  even  after  the  lapse  of  a  century,  under  the 
exciting  influence  of  the  "  freedom's  spirit,"  which  began 
to  develop  into  resistance  to  the  characteristic  rascalities 
and  progressive  oppressions  of  English  rule. 


g  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  exciting  times  just  preceding  the  Revolution 
brought  out,  in  many  of  the  people  of  the  City,  a 
strong  desire  for  freedom  from  the  oppressive  tyranny 
of  their  base  rulers,  and  developed  a  Martial  Spirit, 
eager  for  action,  which  pervaded  the  Dutch  part  of  the 
population,  and  also  the  descendants  of  those  Hugue- 
nots who  had  sought  refuge  here  from  the  oppressive 
tyranny  of  their  own  rulers,  then  forming  a  considera- 
ble portion  of  the  people  of  the  city  ;  and  which  had 
likewise,  in  some  measure,  affected  the  Puritan  part  of 
the  English  residents,  stern  relics  of  the  old  Cromwell-ism. 

The  organization  and  proceedings  of  the  "Sons  of 
"  Liberty"  are  to  be  ever  honored  and  held  Glorious  ; — 
their  detestation  of,  and  hostility  to,  the  English  Ty- 
ranny ; — ^their  zeal  in  arousing  the  people  to  resistance  ; 
—their  erection  of  a  Liberty  Pole  in  the  fields  (the 
present  "Park")  with  a  flag  inscribed  to  "Liberty," 
the  first  one  raised  in  the  Colonies  ; — the  skirmish  be- 
tween them  and  the  English  soldiers,  known  as  the 
"  Battle  of  Golden  Hill,"  (John  street,  from  Gold  to 
Pearl  street,)  as  early  as  1770,  January  18th,  in  which 
was  drawn  the  first  blood  shed  in  the  cause  of  the  Rev- 
olution ;  and  their  ringing  out  the  "  tocsin  of  Liberty," 
on  the  occasion,  from  the  bell  of  St.  George's  Church, 
(Beekman  street,) — ^their  active  and  persistent  resistance 
to  the  Stamp  Act, — all  give  evidence  that  the  old  Martial 
Spirit  had  not  been  dead, — only  sleeping ;  and  it  burst 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  9 

forth  with  great  power  and  brilliancy  as  soon  as  the 
contest  began  to  assume  form  and  a  tangible  shape. 
Marinus  WiUet,  Henry  Rutgers,  John  Lamb,  Isaac  Sears, 
Alexander  McDougall,  Gershom  Mott,  Richard  Yarick, 
Goven  Yan  Schaick,  Abraham  Yan  Dyke,  Yan  Court- 
landt.  Fish,  Gansevoort,  John  Morin  Scott,  and  hundreds 
of  others,  rushing  to  the  front  rank  in  all  that  was  going 
on  ;  and  forming  military  associations,  and  drilling,  and 
qualifying  them  for  service. 

The  very  first  germ  of  the  "Continental  Army"  of 
the  Revolution  was  formed  here,  in  the  New  York 
City  Militia.  The  Provincial  Regiments  raised  in  the 
City,  under  the  excitement  of  the  times,  (the  officers 
of  the  First  were  commissioned  in  1775,)  were  embodied, 
in  May,  as  "  The  Army,"  being  the  first  important 
Military  Act  of  the  new  Continental  Congress,  which 
assembled  May  10,  (1775,)  at  Philadelphia. 

Here,  too,  we  find  the  impromptu  Hero-Boy,  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  attracting  the  eye  of  the  Great  Wash- 
ington, as  he  passed  along  the  Common  where  the 
boy-soldier  was  drilling  his  company  of  boy-soldiers  by 
the  road-side,  and  was  invited,  through  an  Aid,  to  an 
interview  with  the  Great  Chief,  which  led  to  his  en- 
gagement at  Head  Quarters,  and  early  appointment  to 
prominent  and  responsible  Military  positions ;  and  ulti- 
mately the  attainment  to  the  highest  Career,  and  the 
very  pinnacle  of  military  renown  and  of  Patriotic  State- 
manship ;   which,  together  with  the  many  other  young 


10 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


and  gallant  spirits  who  rushed  forward  to  the  aid  of  the 
cause  of  the  Revolution,  in  various  ways,  gave  so  much 
eclat  to  the  Military  and  Patriotic  character  developed  in 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  people  of  the  City,  even 
under  the  adverse  and  oppressive  circumstances  by  which 
the  citizens  were  overwhelmed,  and  many  crushed  down, 
shortly  after  the  "War  commenced. 


III. 


When  the  War  of  the  Revolution  was  over,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  was  early  directed 
to  the  policy  of  establishing  its  Military  forces  on  a  basis 
of  more  efficient  preparation  for  usefulness  in  time  of 
need  ;  and,  in  a  few  years,  laws  had  been  enacted  or- 
ganizing them  into  Companies,  Regiments,  and  the  other 
proper  ramifications  of  a  Military  Establishment ;  and 
providing  for  their  improvement  in  drill ;  and  offering 
inducements  for  young  men  to  enrol  themselves  in 
Special  Regiments  and  devote  extra  time  for  perfecting 
themselves  in  the  elements  of  '*  War^s  dread  Art." 

Some  of  the  present  Companies  of  our  Illustrious  Corps 
trace  their  origin  far  back  towards  the  beginning  of  the 
century,  and  to  the  Laws  thus  early  enacted.  THE 
FOURTH,  it  is  thought,  is  amongst  the  oldest  of  the 
Companies  existing  at  present,  it  having  been  organized 
in  1806.  Its  organization,  and  the  commissioning  of  its 
officers,  were  announced  by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  in 
General  Orders  of  June  25th  of  that  year  ;  and  it  has 


X2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

continued  intact,  by  regular  succession,  down  to  the 
present  time.  The  first  officers  were  John  Forbes*  Cap- 
tain ;  Thomas  R.  MerGein,^  YivsX,  Lieutenant;  and  John 
M.  Bradhurst,%  Second  Lieutenant.  It  was  attached,  by 
the  order  cited,  to  Major  Andrew  Sitcher^s  battalion,  and, 
with  it,  consolidated,  in  1807,  with  other  Companies, 
forming  the  Third  Regiment§  of  New  York  State  Ar- 
tillery ;  all  the  Uniformed  Regiments  in  the  City  being 
designated  as  Artillery,  although  a  portion  of  each  was 
armed  with  Muskets.  Sitcher  was  the  Colonel  of  the 
new  (Third)  Regiment.  On  the  organization  of  the  gallant 
old  Eleventh,  in  1812,  at  the  beginning  of  the  War  with 
England,  the  Company  was  transferred  to  the  Second 
(or  Infantry)  Battalion  of  that  Regiment.  Both  the  above 
named  lieutenants  rose  in  succession  to  the  command 
of  the  Company  ;  and  Mr.  Mercein,  after  the  War,  attained 
the  head  of  the  Regiment.  Some  of  the  other  Companies 
of  the  Seventh  Regiment  date  their  origin  back  to  about 
the  same  period.  The  Second  Company  completed  its 
organization,  and  its  officers  were  commissioned  the  next 
year,  viz.:  in  April,  1807. 


*  Long  the  most  eminent  manufacturer  of  Sterling  Silver-ware  in  the  City. 

f  Afterwards  of  the  firm  of  Kibk  &  Mercein,  Book  publishers  and  sellers,  "Wall, 
corner  Nassau  street. 

X  For  many  years  a  Druggist,  corner  of  Pearl  street  and  Peck  Slip.  Residence 
on  Washington  Heights. 

§  The  present  Eighth  is  the  lineal  descendant  of  that  old  Third  of  1807;  or  rather 
of  one  half  of  it ;  the  other  half  coming  down  to  the  present  "  Seventh." 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  l^ 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  1812,  the  MiUtia 
of  the  City  was  found  to  be  full  of  the  Martial  /Spirit, 
which  had  come  down  from  the  earliest  days  and  been  fos- 
tered and  heightened  by  the  insolent  aggressions  of  the 
English,  that  preceded  and  finally  led  to  the  War. 

The  various  organizations  of  Regiments,  Legions,  Bat- 
talions, and  Companies,  were  in  a  very  fair  condition  of 
improvement,  under  the  early  laws  of  the  State,  and 
furnished  a  nucleus  around  which  soon  rallied  the  gallant 
and  chivalrous  young  men,  eager  for  Martial  distinction 
an.d  fame,  in  support  of  their  Country  and  its  Flag  and 
Honor,  and  in  defence  of  its  borders  against  the  gigantic, 
arrogant,  and  unprincipled  foe. 

The  several  Regiments,  foremost  amongst  which  was 
the  Meventh,  then  but  recently  organized,  under  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Cornelius  Harsen,  volun- 
teered their  services  to  the  Government  (not  having 
learned  the  now  recently  invented  doctrine,  of  the  bogus 
Patriots  of  these  days  and  their  "  friends,"  that  the 
"  National "  is  a  foreign  government ;  and  that  allegiance 
and  loyalty  are  due  to  the  ^^ State"  alone,  even  if  it 
should  be  in  rebellion  against  the  National  Government !) 

It  is  said  that  the  Eleventh  was  the  first  to  volunteer  ; 
it  was  accepted,  and  posted,  some  Companies  on  Bedloe's 
Island,  some  on  Staten  Island,  at  the  Narrows,  and  some 
at  other  points  in  the  harbor. 

At  another  period,  it  volunteered  in  a  body  to  labor 


l^  EECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE   SEVENTH  EEGIMENT. 

in  the  erection  of  Fortifications  for  the  defence  of  the 
approaches  to  Brooklyn.  And  in  September,  1814,  it 
was  detailed  for  a  Three  Months'  tour  of  Duty  in  Gar- 
risoning the  "North  Battery"— the  old  "Red  Fort,"  at 
the  foot  of  Hubert  street,  North  River. 

The  Regular  troops,  recruited  in  large  numbers  in  the 
City,  hurried  forward,  led  by  some  of  its  most  estimable 
and  dashing  young  men,  to  the  Seat  of  War  on  the 
Canada  frontiers.  A  number  of  streets  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  City  are  named  in  honor  of  gallant  young 
officers  from  the  City  who  fell  at  that  time,  fighting 
their  country's  battles. 

The  several  City  Regiments,  when  out  of,  as  well  as 
when  in,  the  service,  devoted  themselves  assiduously  to 
the  acquisition  of  proficiency  in  the  duties  of  their 
positions.  It  is  on  record,  that  the  Company,  now  the 
"Fourth,"  N.  C,  whilst  on  duty  in  the  Forts,  attained 
such  superiority  in  drill,  that  it  was  denominated  through- 
out the  Regiment  (the  old  Eleventh),  "  Bradhurst's  Reg- 
"ulars,"  Captain  John  M.  Bradhurst,  then  commanding 
it ;  and  it  is  a  fact,  worthy  of  notice,  that,  although  its 
composition  has,  of  course,  been  changed,  at  least  a 
dozen  times  over,  still  the  ambition  to  excel,  and  be 
pre-eminent  in  all  the  duties  of  the  soldier — 

"  Transfused  like  life,  from  breast  to  breast  it  glows, 
"  From  sire  to  son  by  sure  succession  flows  "— 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  J  5 

has  come  down  through  all  "the  changes  and  chances" 
of  the  intervening  fifty  years,  to  its  successor,  in  direct 
line,  the  Fourth  Company  of  the  present  day  ;  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic  of  whose  Members  is  so  strik- 
ingly in  keeping  with  their  "illustrious  predecessors." 
It  is  not  pretended,  by  any  means,  that  any  one  Company 
is  entitled  to  an  undue  share  of  the  credit  of  the  advance- 
ment of  the  character  and  reputation  of  the  Regiment 
to  its  present  eminence  and  renown ;  for,  in  fact,  all, — ■ 
the  ^^ post  nati,''^ — ^the  newer  organizations,  as  well  as 
the  original  Four  Companies,  have,  by  the  ability  of  their 
officers  and  men,  and  their  energy,  assiduity,  and  zeal 
for  the  interest  of  the  whole  Corps,  displayed  at  all  times 
in  the  acquisition  and  preservation  of  its 

"  Wealth  of  ancient  fame," 

combined  to  form  the  character  and  reputation  of  our 
present  Gallant  and  Glorious  National  Guard,  which 
we,  and  all  who  have  passed  through  its  ranks  in  earlier 
times,  look  upon  with  so  much,  almost  paternal,  pride  ; 
and  of  which  each  of  us  is  so  proud  to  still  claim, 
after  a  lapse  of  nearly  half  a  century, 

"  I,  too,  am  a  National  Guard  I " 

The  peace  of  1815  returned  to  the  City  a  large 
number  of  her  gallant  sons  who  had  been  in  the  field  ; 
yet  but  few  of  those,  we  think,  entered  the  Militia  Regi- 
ments ;   service  in  them  appearing,  probably,  too  tame 


IQ  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

for  appetites  used  to  higher  spiced,  and  more  piquant 
fare.  There  had  been,  however,  excited  in  many  of  the 
young  men  of  the  City,  a  strong  desire  for  distinction  in 
military  exercises,  which,  after  a  season  of  reaction  from 
the  excitements  of  the  War,  and  of  indifference  on  the 
part  of  many,  to  mihtary  matters  generally,  revived, 
and  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  Volunteer  Regiments,  in 
the  direction  of  advancement  and  improvement  in  dis- 
cipline and  efficiency. 

Many  of  us  can  call  to  mind  the  gallant  and  brilliant 
appearance  of  the  old  Fourteenth  Regiment,  the  "  Gov- 
'^ernor^s  Ghiard,^^  that  in  1814,  when  but  a  Battalion 
of  Two  Companies  (the  First  of  which  had  been  organ- 
ized three  years  before  under  the  designation  of  * '  Fleet 
"  Guards,"*  Daniel  E.  Dunscoynh  its  Captain,  and  James 
B.  Murray,  Lieutenant),  had  been  detailed  by  Governor 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  as  his  Special  Body  Guard,  he 
being,  at  the  time,  a  Major  General  in  the  Army  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  command  of  this  Military  District ; 
conferring  upon  it  at  the  same  time  the  designation  of 
"  Governor's  Guard,"  under  which  title  it  rapidly  increased 
in  strength,  and  in  a  few  years  had  acquired  great  dis- 
tinction as  the  '^Fourteenth  Regiment;''''  and,  eminent  for 
its  splendid  discipline,  and  its  Brilliant  Uniforms,  ex- 
ceeding in  richness  and  elegance  all  others  in  the  City — 
Blue    Coats,    and    White    Pantaloons,    and    tall,    white 

*  SmoN  PiiEET,  a  mau  of  prominence  in  that  day,  being  its  founder. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.       1  »7 

waving  featliers — -the  front  of  the  coats  almost  covered 
with  gold  lace,  and  the  cuffs  and  collars  with  gold 
embroidery — and  with  its  gallant  cavalier,  Colonel  James 
B.  Murray,  at  its  head,  it  was  the  pride  and  delight  of 
the  beauty,  fashion,  and  elite  of  the  City.  Its  ranks 
were  filled  by  young  gentlemen  of  the  highest  social 
position,  and  it  was  equally  distinguished,  on  the  march 
in  Broadway,  in  the  walks  of  fashion,  and  in  the  gayeties 
of  the  ball  room. 

The  Grand  Ball  given  by  the  Regiment,  in  honor  of, 
and  attended  by,  G-eneral  Andrew  Jackson  ("  old 
"Hickory"),  at  the  old  City  Hotel,*  on  the  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1819,  was  far  ahead,  in  elegance  and  brilliancy, 
of  any  thing  before  known  in  the  City,  and  called  out 
several  squibs  and  witticisms  from  "  (7roato,"f  the  cele- 
brated "  quiz"  and  satirist  of  that  day.  The  Fourteenth 
was,  a  few  years  later,  consolidated  with  the  Second  ;  and 
the  8ixth  of  the  present  day  is  the  lineal  descendant. 

Next,  perhaps,  in  display  and  eclat,  came  the  Third 
Regiment,  (the  old  Third  of  1807,)  led  by  Colonel  Wil- 
liam T.  Hunter  on  his  splendid  white  charger,  with  full, 

*  Tho  City  Hotel  stood  on  the  -west  side  of  Broadway,  on  the  block  from  Thames 
to  Cedar  streets,  and  was,  for  many  years,  the  most  distingue  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  the  country.  It  was  on  the  site  of  the  "  King's  Arms  Tavern  "  of  a 
hundred  years  previous,  which  was,  in  its  day,  one  of  the  most  prominent  points 
of  interest  with  the  fashionables  of  "  Old  New  York  "  of  those  "  early  days." 

f  F.  Q-.  Halleck,  then  just  "  coming  out"  in  his  poetical  career. 

3 


18  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

flowing  mane  and  tail,  their  uniforms  but  little  behind 
the  Fourteenth  in  brilliancy,  their  feathers  white,  with 
red  tops  :  then  followed  the  old  Eleventh,  a  sound, 
solid,  excellent  Corps,  commanded  by  Colonel  James 
Benedict,  afterwards  Major  General ;  their  coats  of  blue, 
with  red  collars,  and  reaching  to  the  knee  ;  white  panta- 
loons, with,  until  1821,  long  "Suwarrow"  boots  worn 
over  them  ;  their  feathers  red,  with  white  tops  :*  then 
came  the  Ninth,  led  by  Colonel  Alexander  M.  Muir,  and 
subsequently  by  Colonel  Samuel  I.  Bunt,  (who  was  after- 
wards Brigadier-General,)  their  feathers  of  red :  follow- 
ing them  was  the  Second,  Colonel  Charles  Town,  with 
feathers  of  dark  blue,  and  red  tops  ;  and  several  other 
organizations,  cavalry,  riflemen,  &c. ;  the  bare  enumer- 
ation brings  them  all  up  so  clearly  to  the  "mind's  eye," 
with  their  gay  and  gallant  appearance,  that  it  makes 
one  almost  wish  to  be  a  boy  again,  and,  perched  up  on 
some  stoop  railing  in  Broadway,  or  jammed  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  crowd  in  the  Park,  enjoying  the  pleasing 
sights,  as  we  did  in  those  days,  of  the  grand  ' '  Fourth  of 
•"July,"  or  other  gala  day  parades,  led  by  the  vener- 
able General  Morton,  (as  much  of  a  boy  as  any  of  us  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  scene,)  surrounded  by  his  brilliant 
Staff,  all  in  the  uniforms  of  the  blue  and  buff  of  the 
Revolution,  with  yellow  plumes  : — Ah,  me !  the  march 

*  The  feathers,  or  plumes,  as  they  began  to  be  called,  wom  at  that  time,  were  of 
vulture  feathers,  on  a  stem,  very  full,  some  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter  and  six- 
teen or  eighteen  inches  long,  slightly  wavi  ng  at  the  top. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT.  JQ   '^ 

of  nearly  fifty  years  over  our   heads  has  changed    all 
that — and  us,  too,  I  find ! 

Things  went  on  quietly  for  a  few  years,  each  ap- 
parently understanding  and  acquiescing  in  his  rank  in 
the  scale  of  excellence  ;  none  attempting,  or  even  think- 
ing, of  rivaling  the  Fourteenth  in  brilliancy  and  eclat, 
the  Third  in  dash  and  fume,  or  the  others  in  their 
several  degrees  of  perfection  in  solid  discipline  and  real 
efficiency.  But,  instead  of  directing  their  energies  to  the 
permanent  improvement  of  their  several  corps  in  mili- 
tary efficiency,  they  took  the  direction  of  "fuss  and 
"feathers,"  studying  frivolities  in  the  way  of  novel  and 
gaudy  uniforms  ;  and  in  a  little  while  most  of  the  regi- 
ments that  had  been  foremost  in  the  pubhc  estimation 
began  to  show  signs  of  decay. 

Many  of  the  young  men  of  spirit  and  ambition,  es- 
pecially those  in  the  Eleventh,  conceived  the  notion 
that  "  all  the  Chivalry  "  could  not  be  monoplized  by  one 
or  two  regiments,  nor  confined  under  gold-laced  coats 
only,  and  began  to  consider  ways  and  means  for  plac- 
ing their  own  Corps  farther  in  advance,  or  even,  per- 
haps, at  the  head  of  the  Column  of  Improvement.  They 
found,  however,  the  composition  of  the  regiment  a 
great  annoyance,  and  hindrance  to  improvement ;  one 
battalion — four  companies — of  heavy  artillery,  (three 
and   four  pounders,  in  that  day,  were  heavy  artillery!) 


20  RECOLLECTIONS  OE  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

and   four  companies  of  infantry,  constituted  the   regi- 
ment. 

A'  remodeling  and  reorganization  of  the  whole  force 
was  agitated,  by  which  the  different  arms  should  be  or- 
ganized separately ;  and  at  the  same  time  schemes  and 
projects  were  rife  amongst  the  active  and  ambitious  spirits 
in  the  infantry  companies  of  the  Eleventh  Regiment  for 
changing  their  appearance,  and  adopting  active  measures 
for,  in  some  way,  giving  more  eclat  to  their  labors  and 
services ;  various  propositions  were  brought  forward  for 
an  alteration  of  the  uniform,  and  suggestions  made  for 
the  adoption  of  a  distinctive  name  ;  they  could  only  be 
designated  as  company  commanded  by  Captain  Such-a- 
one,  in  the  Eleventh  Regiment ;  (that  Regiment,  however, 
bore  as  high  a  reputation  for  sound  practical  proficiency 
as  any  in  the  City ;)  they  had  not  even  permanent  num- 
bers or  designations  to  the  companies ;  if  referred  to  by 
number  at  all,  it  was  by  the  relative  rank  of  the  captain, 
and  changed  with  every  change  in  his  seniority. 

Major  John  D.  Wilson,  of  the  Eleventh  Regiment, 
formerly  Captain  of  what  was  afterwards  the  Third  Com- 
pany ;  Major  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  who  had  com- 
manded the  Fourth  Company,  and  been  transferred  to  the 
position  of  Brigade  Major,  on  General  Benedict's  staff; 
Captain  Linus  W.  Stevens,  then  commanding  a  company 
hi  the  First,  or  Heavy  Artillery  Battalion  of  the  Regi- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  KEGIMENT.  21 

ment,  and  who  was  dissatisfied  with  his  position,  and,  anx- 
ious for  progress,  determined  that,  when  any  movement 
was  made  in  the  Second  BattaUon,  he  would  transfer 
to  it ;  and  many  of  the  Une  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers,  and  most  active  of  the  privates,  became  very 
anxious  that  some  movement  in  advance  should  be  made, 
and  began  to  agitate  the  subject  with  much  earnestness. 

Whilst  the  field  and  most  prominent  officers  of  the 
Brigade  were  planning  and  scheming  for  a  general  reor- 
ganization— a  "new  shuffle  and  deal"  in  which  all  were 
striving  to  ' '  get  the  honors '' — the  company  officers  and 
their  men  were  agitating  and  discussing  different  styles 
and  patterns  for  a  new  uniform ;  and  they  finally  worked 
themselves  up  to  such  a  degree  of  earnestness  in  the 
matter,  some  companies  proposing  a  coat  of  peculiar 
pattern,  and  others  offering  one  of  a  different  style — all 
blue,  however ;  and  so  zealous  did  they  become  in  devo- 
tion to  their  several  and  respective  proposals,  that  neither 
would  give  way,  and  the  thing  seemed  at  a  "dead  lock," 
and  likely  to  fall  through  entirely,  when  a  trifling  inci- 
dent gave  a  new  turn  to  the  matter  and  solved  the  diffi- 
culty, that  had  got  to  be  rather  serious. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixteenth  of  August,  1824,  Ser- 
geant Philetus  H.  Holt,  of  the  Fourth  Company,  was  on 
his  way  to  the  meeting  for  pai'ade,  for  the  reception  of 
the  illustrious  La  Fayette  on  his  last  visit  to  this  coun- 


22  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

try ;  and,  having  sent  his  uniform  coat  to  his  tailor's*  in 
Franklin  Square,  for  some  alteration  and  fixing,  in  lieu 
of  it  had  put  on  his  business  coat,  with  the  rest  of  his 
uniform  and  equipments — his  white  pantaloons  and 
white  cross-belts,  cap  and  plume,  and  musket  (in  those 
days  the  men  provided  their  own  muskets,  and  kept  them 
at  home).  His  business  coat,  he  being  in  the  flour 
trade,  was  of  gray  cloth,  with  metal  buttons,  and  had 
short  skirts,  a  coatee,  as  such  were  denominated,  and  made 
to  button  high  up  and  fit  closely,  which,  with  his  trim 
figure  and  soldierly  bearing,  made  quite  a  striking  ap- 
pearance ;  and  as  he  was  passing  through  Pearl  street,  on 
his  way  from  his  residence  in  Beaver  street,  to  his  tailor's 
to  change  for  his  uniform  coat,  the  singularity  of  his 
dress  attracted  the  attention  of  Major  Wilson  and  Major 
Wetmore,  who  were  standing  at  the  door  of  the  latter  in 
Pearl  street  (No.  244) ;  they  were  both,  at  first  sight, 
much  taken  with  its  novel  and  pleasing  appearance,  and 
its  fine  effect  generally  ;  they  halted  him,  and  scrutinized, 
and  criticised,  and  commented  on  it,  both  concluding  on 
the  spot  that  "that  was  the  dress  for  us,"  and  conjointly 
made  up  their  minds  to  propose  it  at  once  to  the  several 
companies ;  Major  Wilson  going  immediately,  before  the 
parade,  to  his  tailor's,  and  giving  orders  for  a  pattern  coat. 

During  the  parade,  whilst  the  troops  were  waiting  on 

*  Barent  Andariese,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Second  Company,  N.  G.,  its  first 
Lient.  in  1807,  and  its  second  Captain. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


23 


the  Battery  for  the  arrival  of  the  marine  cavalcade  of 
ships,  steamers,  and  boats  of  all  degrees,  from  Staten 
Island,  with  the  Illustrious  Guest  of  the  Nation,  who  was 
to  be  landed  at  Castle  Grarden,  and  from  thence  proceed 
to  review  the  troops,  a  group  of  officers  of  the  Eleventh 
Regiment  were  standing  around  Major  Wilson,  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree  in  front  of  the  line,  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion ;  Captain  Stevens  was  amongst  them,  and  also  Oli- 
ver M.  Lownds,  an  acquaintance  of  most  of  the  party; 
the  measures  in  agitation  for  the  improvement  of  the 
Corps  were,  of  course,  under  discussion,  as  they  had  been 
of  late,  with  the  officers  and  men,  "whenever  two  or 
"three  were  gathered  together."  Major  Wilson,  it  is  un- 
derstood, alluding,  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  to 
the  circumstance  of  La  Fayette  having  commanded  the 
celebrated  "National  Guard"  of  Paris,  suggested  that  it 
would  be  an  appropriate  compliment  to  him,  brought  out 
by  the  occasion,  to  call  our  Corps  "National  Guards;" 
it  seemed  to  strike  all  present  very  favorably  ;  and  when 
the  officers  returned  to  their  posts,  and  mentioned  what 
had  been  proposed  with  reference  to  a  name,  it  was  re- 
ceived by  the  men  also  with  great  favor  ;  nothing  was  said 
to  them,  as  yet,  about  the  proposed  uniform ;  the  minds 
of  many  having  been  considerably  excited  on  that  subject, 
it  was  thought  best  to  approach  them  cautiously  with  the 
new  proposition. 


24  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

As  the  Reception  of  La  Fayette  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  Corps,  it  perhaps  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  the  older  portion  of  our  members  to  have  here  repro- 
duced an  account  of  the  event  as  written  out  at  the  time 
in  the  Book  of  Minutes  of  one  of  the  companies : 


THE  MARQUIS  DE  LA  FAYETTE 
having  expressed  an  intention  of  revisiting  this  country,  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  unanimously  passed  a  resolution  inviting  him  to  our 
shores,  and  directed  that  a  national  ship  should  be  held  in  readiness  for 
his  conveyance  whenever  it  would  suit  his  convenience  to  embark :  this 
honor  he  declined,  and  took  passage  in  the  ship  Cadmus,  Captain  Allyn. 
and  sailed  from  Havre  for  New  York  on  the  13th  July,  1824,  accompanied 
by  his  son,  George  Washington  La  Fayette.  The  ship  arrived  at 
Staten  Island  on  Sunday  morning,  15th  August:  General  La  Fayette 
and  son  immediately  landed,  and  were  met  on  the  shore  by  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins,  the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  and  conducted  to  his 
house,  near  by. 

As  soon  as  it  had  been  ascertained  that  this  veteran  hero,  who  so  early 
in  life  had  devoted  his  blood,  toil,  and  treasure  to  the  establishment  of  our 
free  institutions,  was  about  to  again  land  on  our  shores,  and  witness  for 
himself  the  blessings  which  had  followed  the  establishment  of  a  govern- 
ment based  upon  the  immutable  principles  "  that  all  men  are  created  free 
"and  equal;"  ea;<e7Wive  preparations  were  made  by  the  Common  Council  of 
this  City  to  give  him  a  welcome  commensurate  with  the  feelings  of  vene- 
ration and  gratitude  which  pervaded  every  class  of  citizens. 

The  following  Order  was  issued  by  the  Government  in  advance  of  his 
arrival ; 

ADJTJTANT-GENBRAL'S  OFFICE, 

"Washington,  11  August,  1824. 
Order. — 

The  President  of  the  United  States  directs  that  General  La  Fay- 
ette, when  he  arrives  in  this  country,  be  received  at  all  military  posts 
with  the  honors  due  to  the  highest  military  rank  in  our  service. 

The  General-in-Chief  publishes  the  foregoing  to  the  army  by  direction 
of  the  Secretary-of-War. 

AND  in  order  that  the  Brigade  of  Artillery  might  be  prompt  in  paying 
all  military  honor  and  respect  to  the  only  remaining  General  Officer 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  £6 

of  the  KEyoLTJTioN,  and  that  he  might  be  welcomed  with  all  the  ^^ pride, 
^^pomp,  and  circumstance"  worthy  a  Guest  of  the  Nation,  and  bosom 
friend  of  our  revered  "Washington,  the  followmg  orders  were  issued  in 
anticipation  of  his  arrival: 

NEW  YORK  STATE  ARTILLERY. 
DIVISION   ORDEBS. 

New  York,  July  24th,  1824. 

The  Marquis  De  La  Fayette  having  been  invited  to  visit  this  coun- 
try has  accepted  the  invitation,  and  his  arrival  at  this  port  is  daily  expected. 
Independent  of  his  being  a  Guest  of  the  Nation,  his  own  private  worth, 
and  his  services  in  securing  our  Freedom  and  Independence,  have  endeared 
him  to  all  classes  of  the  community,  and  he  will  be  received  with  every 
demonstration  of  kindness  and  respect. 

That  the  Corps  of  Artillery  would  be  foremost  in  paying  all  Military 
honors  to  the  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  the  Major-GeneTal  is  well  convinced. 
He  therefore  directs  that  the  troops  of  the  Division  in  the  City  and  its  vicin- 
ity, be  under  arms  on  the  occasion,  and  to  parade  at  the  Battery  for  his 
reception.  They  will  be  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General  Bene- 
dict. As  the  period  of  his  arrival  is  imcertain,  the  men  will  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  assemble  at  a  moment's  warning.  Arrangements 
are  made  to  announce  his  arrival  at  the  Hook,  and  as  a  signal  of  that  event 
a  flag  will  be  hoisted  at  the  City  HaU,  and  at  the  Battery.  It  will  be 
endeavoured  to  give  the  troops  notice  the  day  previous  to  the  parade,  and 
the  signal  for  immediately  assembling,  will  be  the  sounding  of  the  bugle 
through  the  principal  streets  of  the  City. 

General  Benedict  will  please  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  that 
purpose.  He  will  establish  a  battery,  selecting  the  heaviest  pieces  of 
field  artillery,  to  fire  a  salute  on  Major-General  La  Fayette's  landing. 
The  necessary  ammunition  will  be  supplied  by  the  Commissary-General, 
and  for  which  immediate  application  should  be  made,  that  every  thing  may 
be  put  in  a  proper  state  of  preparation. 

Communications  will  from  time  to  time  be  made  to  General  Benedict 
of  the  various  services  that  may  be  required. 

By  order  of  Major-General  Morton,  , 

J.  Vandebbilt,  Division  Inspector. 


FIRST  BRIGADE  N.  Y.  S.  ARTILLERY. 
BRIGADE    ORDERS. 

New  York,  July  27,  1824. 
The  Division  Order  of  24th  inst.  is  promulgated  for  the  information  and 
government  of  this  Brigade. 

I 


26  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

For  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  effect  the  orders  of  the  Major- General, 
and  to  insure  the  speedy  notification  of  the  troops,  for  duty  on  the  arrival 
of  Major-General  La  Fayette,  the  Brigadier- General  directs  that  com- 
mandants of  regiments  shall  forthwith  promulgate  to  their  commands  the 
above  Division  and  this  Brigade  Order,  and  cause  the  same  to  be  commu- 
nicated to  the  members  of  the  companies  attached  to  their  respective 
commands.  They  will  likewise  each  designate  in  orders  a  Eegimental 
Parade  Ground,  at  which  place,  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  the  ex- 
pected intelligence,  they  will  cause  a  flag  to  be  hoisted,  as  a  signal  to  the 
members  of  the  different  corps  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  duty 
at  a  moment's  warning,— and  to  assemble  at  their  respective  rendezvous 
at  the  sound  of  the  bugle. 

Immediately  on  receiving  oflScial  information  of  the  arrival  of  Major- 
General  La  Fayette,  Colonels  Hunter,  Brett,  and  Manley  will  be  directed 
to  cause  the  bugles  attached  to  their  respective  regiments  to  be  sounded 
through  the  principal  streets  as  a  notice  for  the  immediate  assembling  of 
the  troops  as  above  directed. 

The  Brigadier-General  feels  persuaded  that  a  disposition  will  be  evinced 
by  members  of  every  grade  and  corps  to  appear  promptly  on  parade,  and 
with  equipments  in  the  most  perfect  order, — as  on  no  former  occasion  has 
the  Brigade  been  called  upon  to  perform  a  more  gratifying  service,  or  a 
duty  more  calculated  to  interest  the  feelings  of  citizen  soldiers  than  the 
one  now  contemplated. 

The  Brigadier-General- has  much  pleasure  in  accepting  the  services  ten- 
dered by  the  Commandant  of  the  Veteran  Corps  of  Artillerists*  The 
Company  will  receive  a  station  on  the  right  of  the  Artillery  Line,  and  will 
participate  in  the  salute. 

The  Brigade  Quarter-Master  will  confer  with  the  Commissary-General, 
and  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  ammunition. 

By  order  of  Brigadier-General  Benedict, 

P.  M.  Wetmore,  Brigade-Major. 


ELEVENTH  REGIMENT  N.  Y.  S.  ARTILLERY. 
REGIMENTAL    ORDERS. 

New  York,  July  28,  1824. 
The  annexed  Division  and  Brigade  Orders  are  promulgated  for  the 
information  of  the  officers,  non-commissioned  officers,  and  matrosses  of 

*  The  Veteran  Corps  op  Artillery  was  an  association  of  much  inttrest,  being 
a  company  of  Veterans  who  had  actually  been  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
They  paraded  on  every  Fourth  of  July  morning,  and  marched  to  the  Battery  with 
drum  and  fife,  and  fired  a  National  Salute,  at  day-break,  from  the  heaviest  pieces  of 
field  artillery  at  that  time  in  use,  which  was  heard  all  over  the  City  in  its  then  extent. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  27 

this  Eegiment,  and  in  directing  a  compliance  with  the  same,  the  Com- 
mandant relies  on,  and  requires  from  each  member  of  the  Regiment,  an 
adoption  of  the  most  energetic  measures  to  insure  that  promptness  which 
becomes  the  soldier ;  and  which  on  numerous  occasions  has  been  noticed 
in  this  Regiment,  and  for  which  the  present  occasion  calls. 

The  Regimental  Parade  Ground  will  be  Chathavi  Square,  the  right  on 
the  old  Watch  House,  from  the  cupola  of  Avhich,  under  direction  of  Cap- 
tain Mount,  the  American  Ensign  will  be  hoisted,  and  regarded  as  notice 
for  each  member  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  parade  at  a  moment's 
warning ;  and  at  the  sound  of  the  bugle,  or  on  receiving  a  verbal  or  printed 
notice,  to  assemble  on  the  Parade  Ground  as  above  designated. 
By  order  of  Colonel  Peter  W.  Spicer, 

Gilbert  F.  Everson,  Adjutant, 


Agreeable  to  the  arrangements  in  the  preceding  orders,  flags  were 
hoisted  at  the  different  parade  grounds,  and  at  all  the  public  places  as  soon 
as  the  news  of  his  arrival  had  reached  the  City ;  and  on 

Monday,  16th  August,  1824, 
the  bugles  were  sounded  through  the  streets  at  8  o'clock,  and  orders 
issued  for  the  different  regiments  to  assemble  at  10.     The  Brigade  Line 
to  form  at  the  Battery  at  1 1 . 

GENERAL  LA  FAYETTE 

landed  at  the  Battery  about  2  o'clock,  from  the  steamboat  Chancellor 
LivixGSTON ;  he  was  accompanied  from  the  seat  of  the  Vice-President  at 
Staten  Island,  by  a  Committee  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  City;  and 
also  by  committees  from  the  Cincinnati  Society  and  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  a  number  of  gentlemen  of  distinction,  among  whom  were  some 
of  his  early  friends  and  associates  in  arms.  His  embarkation  at  Staten 
Island  was  announced  by  a  salute  from  the  shore,  which  was  responded  to 
by  Fort  La  Fayette,  and  by  the  steamship. 

The  Chancellor  Livinc/ston,  with  her  venerable  passenger,  was  escorted 
to  the  City  by  the  splendid  steamship  Robert  Fulton,  manned  by  200  U.  S. 
Sailors  from  the  Navy  Yard,  and  the  steamboats  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Con- 
necticut, Olive  Branch,  and  N^autilus,  each  having  on  board  a  large  party 

Thoy  usually  wore,  on  parade,  a  sword  with  shoulder-belt,  and  a  Revolution  cockade, 
with  76  in  gilt  on  it,  and  a  blue  feather  with  red  top,  on  the  side  of  an  ordinary  hat. 
They  were  looked  upon  by  all  classes  of  the  people  with  a  high  degree  of  favor  and 
interest.  As  their  ranks  thinned  out,  others  than  those  entitled  to  a  place  among 
them  crowded  in,  impostors  and  pretenders,  and  soon  destroyed  all  the  respect  and 
interest  of  the  people  for  the  Corps. 


28  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

of  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  a  band  of  music,  the  whole  forming,  as  they 
approached  the  City,  one  of  the  most  imposing  and  splendid  aquatic  exhi- 
bitions ever  witnessed.  The  lofty  appearance  of  the  steamship  as  she 
proudly  "walked  the  waters,"  leading  the  van  of  the  procession, — her 
yards  manned  by  sailors,  and  elegantly  dressed  from  the  water  to  the  tops 
of  her  masts  with  the  flags  and  signals  of  all  nations.  The  Chancellor 
Livingston  followed,  flanked  by  the  Connecticut  and  Oliver  Ellsworth,  both 
also  elegantly  decorated  with  flags  and  streamers. 

The  SHIP  Cadmus,  towed  by  two  steamboats,  brought  up  the  rear,  her 
towering  spars  decorated  in  the  most  elegant  and  fanciful  manner  with  flags 
and  signals;  she  moved  majestically,  as  if  conscious  of  the  veneration 
which  was  being  testified  for  the  Noble  Patriot  she  had  conveyed  to  our 
shores. 

As  the  procession  passed  Governor's  Island,  a  salute  was  fired  from 
Castle  "William — and  when  the  General  landed, 

"Oh  never  has  earth  seen  a  moment  so  splendid." 

The  Veteran  Soldier  stepped  on  shore,  and  was  greeted  with  a  welcomt* 
to  our  City,  told  in  o.  voice  of  thunder  that  "made  old  ocean  tremble." 
A  Major-General's  Salute  from  the  Brigade  of  Artillery,  a  National  Salute 
from  the  Revenue  Cutter,  and  one  from  the  U.  S.  Brig  Shark  at  anchor 
off  the  Battery,  and  one  from  Fort  Columbus, — a  spontaneous  burst  of 
cheering  from  the  assembled  thousands,  and  salutations  from  a  large  num- 
ber of  distinguished  Citizens,  among  whom  were  many  of  his  early  acquaint- 
ances, bespoke  the  heart-felt  pleasure  they  all  experienced  in  beholding  the 
"  Venerable  good  old  man"  again  in  our  country,  and  in  good  health : 

"Oh,  what  a  moment  that  to  thee, 

"Great  Gallic  son  of  Liberty! 

"When  girt  by  thousands  burning  high 

"With  gratitude  and  ardent  zeal, 
"  Thou  stood'st  beneath  the  self-same  sky 

"'Neath  which  thou  bled'st  for  Nations  weal, 
"  And  trod'st  upon  the  cultured  shore, 
"  Known  as  a  battle-field  before." 

After  partaking  of  some  refreshments,  and  resting  himself  for  a  short 
time  in  Castle  Garden,  the  Veteran  Chief  reviewed  the  Division  of  Artil- 
lery on  the  Battery,  accompanied  by  Major-General  Morton  and  suite,  and 
a  number  of  distinguished  officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy.  He  was  then 
seated  in  a  barouche  and  proceeded  through  Broadway  to  the  City  Hall ; 
on  his  way  he  received  the  most  lively  demonstrations  of  attachment  and 
respect  from  the  immense  concourse  of  citizens  through  which  he  passed. 
Never  on  any  former  occasion  had  there  been  witnessed  such  a  universal 
assemblage  of  the  beauty,  fashion,  and  splendor  of  our  City. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  29 

Arrived  at  the  Hall,  the  General  was  presented  to  the  Corporation  of 
the  City  assembled  in  their  official  capacity  to  welcome  him,  and  received 
the  congratulations  of  that  body.  After  which  he  received  the  Marching 
Salute  of  the  troops  in  front  of  the  City  Hall.*  After  the  troops  had 
passed  in  review,  they  were  dismissed  in  the  Park,  and  the  General  was 
conducted  to  the  Governor's  Room  in  the  Hall,  where  the  ofQcers  of  the 
Brigade  of  Artillery  were  presented  to  him. 

About  half  past  five  he  proceeded  to  the  "  City  Hotel,  "f  where  a  suit 
of  apartments  had  been  prepared  by  the  Corporation  for  his  accommodation. 


The  proposed  new  dress  having  been  made  known, 
and  also  the  name  that  had  been  suggested  for  the  Corps, 
they  were  extensively  and  earnestly  canvassed  by  the 
members,  and  generally  viewed  favorably.  Those  who 
had  been  most  active  and  zealous  in  the  discussion  of  the 
various  patterns  for  a  new  uniform,  that  had  so  distracted 
and  divided  the  minds  of  the  members,  were  foremost  in 
advocating  the  new  proposition ;  being  earnestly  interested 
for  the  advancement  and  improvement  of  the  Corps,  they 
saw,  beyond  the  merits  of  the  dress  proposed,  an  escape 
from  the  "dead  lock"  on  the  several  patterns  previously 
before  the  companies. 

The  officers  of  the  four  companies  interested  in  the 
movement,  and  which  composed  the  Second  Battalion  of 
the  Eleventh  Regiment,  with  their  relative  rank  by  sen- 
iority of  the  captains,  were  : — 


*  One  of  the  companies  of  our  Regiment  (the  Fourth)  had  the  proud  distinction 
of  being  selected  and  detailed  as  a  Guard  of  Honor  on  the  occasion. 

f  Tlie  old  "City  Hotel,"  on  Broadway,  between  Thames  and  Pine  streets,  then  the 
most  celebrated  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  City. 


30  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

First.    Captain  Irad  Hawley, 

First  Lieut.  Augustus  H.  Sand, 
Second  Lieut.  James  Flinn,  Jr. 

Second.  Captain  John  Telfair, 

First  Lieut.  Peter  W.  Cole, 
Second  Lieut.  George  Wetsell. 

Third.  Captain  William  B.  Curtis, 

First  Lieut.  David  T.  Valentine, 
Second  Lieut.  Benjamin  H.  Roach. 

Fourth.  Captain  Howard  A.  Simons, 

First  Lieut.  James  A.  Minard, 
Second  Lieut.  William  R.  Whitney. 

They  formed  themselves  into  a  provisional  "Board," 
and  had  frequent  meetings  on  the  various  subjects  occu- 
pying the   attention   of  the  Corps,    prominent  amongst, 
which  were  "name,"   "uniform,"   "reorganization,"  &c. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  "Board,"  held  at  the  old  "Shak- 
speare  Tavern,"*  on  the  evening  of 

Wednesday,  25th  of  August,  1824, 
the  resolution  instituting  and  giving  birth  to  our  present 

*  "The  Shakspeare  Tavern,"  the  old  stamping  ground  of  the  Corps,  having  been 
for  many  years  so  intimately  associated  with  most  of  the  events  in  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  the  Regiment,  it  seemingly  is  entitled  to  a  passing  notice. 

It  was  for  a  long  time  the  head-quarters  of  the  officers  and  members  and  their 
friends,  in  its  "early  days,"  for  meetings,  drills,  entertainments,  and  enjoyments. 

It  stood  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Fulton  and  Nassau  streets  (the  site  of  the 
present  "  Sun  Building").     It  was  a  low,  old-fashioned,  massive  edifice,  of  small,  yel- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  3  J 

renowned  Corps  was  unanimously  adopted  in  the  follow- 
ing words,  viz. : — 


^^  Resolved,  That  the  Battalion  of  Infantry  attached 
"to  the  Eleventh  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Artillery,  be  here- 
"  after  known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  National 
"Guards." 

As  has  been  remarked  in  another  place,  "how  strik- 
"  ingly  has  the  prophetic  expression  of  that  simple  reso- 
"  lution  been  fulfilled;  the  Corps  then  organized  has 
"indeed  been  'Tcnown  and  distinguished  hy  the  name  of 
"  ^National  Guards,^  to  a  degree  and  extent  but  little 
"  dreamed  of  at  that  time,"  or  by  those  who  framed  or 
passed  it. 


low  bricks,  two  stories  high,  with  dormer  windows  on  the  roof.  The  entrance  in  its 
earliest  days  was  on  Nassau  street — an  entry  running  through,  with  rooms  on  both 
sides.  "  The  Tap,"  in  those  days,  was  in  the  south  front  room,  on  Nassau  street,  and 
was  fitted  up  with  a  circular  "  Bar"  in  one  corner,  of  the  old  EngUsh  fashion. 

The  building  had  been  erected  "long  time  ago,"  before  the  Revolutionary  War;  a 
modem  extension  on  Fulton  street,  three  stories  high,  with  a  room  for  public  meet- 
ings and  military  drills  in  the  second  story,  and  an  arched  room  in  the  third  story  for 
concerts,  and  balls,  and  military  drills,  was  added  in  1822,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  political,  mihtary,  and  musical  patrons  of  the  house,  it  being  a  popular  resort  of  all 
those  classes. 

It  was  kept  by  Thomas  Hodgkinson,  an  Englishmen  by  birth,  who  had  come  over 
when  quite  young;  he  was  brother  to  the  celebrated  comedian  and  vocaUst,  John 
EodgTcinson,  who  was  very  eminent  in  his  profession,  and  at  one  time  manager  of  the  old 
Park  Theatre — he  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1805.  Eodgkinson  bought  and  established 
the  house  in  1808,  and  it  soon  became,  and  long  continued,  celebrated  for  the  supe- 


32  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Prom  that  evening  and  that  act  dates  the  existence  of  the 
Corps  of  National  Guards,  which  has  engaged  so  much  of 
our  interest  and  feelings,  and  which  we  all  love  so  much. 
EsTO  Perpetua. 

At  one  of  the  preliminary  meetings,  "  The  Board''''  had 
determined  to  adopt  numbers  for  permanent  distinctive 
appellations  to  the  respective  companies  ;  and  that  there 
might  not  be  dissatisfaction  at  the  assigning  higher  or 
lower  numbers,  they  drew  for  them.  Captain  Hawley  draw- 
ing No.  1,  Captain  Telfair  No.  2,  Captain  Curtis  No.  3,  and 
Captain  Simons  No.  4,  (by  mutual  private  agreement,) — 
the  same  relative  positions  in  rank  they  held  before. 

The  announcement  of  the  resolution  adopting  the 
name  was  received  throughout  the  Corps  with  much  sat- 
isfaction. 

rior  character  of  its  refreshments  and  entertainments,  and  the  quiet  comfort  and 
rechercTie  quality  of  the  private  suppers  served  up  nightly  to  clubs  and  parties  of  "first 
"people"  of  the  City,  with  whom  it  was  a  favorite  resort. 

HodgMnson  was  an  officer  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  N.  Y.  S.  Artillery,  and  distin- 
guished for  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  country  in  the  "War  of  1812.  At  his 
death,  on  the  day  of  the  reception  of  La  Fayette,  in  1824,  he  was  a  captain,  and  was 
buried  with  military  honors.     Two  of  his  sons  served  in  the  National  Guard. 

The  house  passed  at  his  death  to  his  connection  by  marriage,  James  C.  StoneaM, 
Esq.,  (afterwards  alderman  of  the  Second  ward,)  by  whom  the  interior  was  remod- 
eled and  modernized — a  handsome  bar-room  fitted  up  on  the  corner,  with  an  entrance 
on  Fulton  street — and  was  carried  on  with  distinguished  success,  until  it  was  demol- 
ished on  the  widening  of  Fulton  street  in  1836. 

The  recollections  of  most  of  the  ancient  "  N.  G.'s  "  go  back  to  the  "  Old  Shakspeare" 
as  "  The  scene  of  many  a  past  joy." 


EBCOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  33 

Major  Wilson,  after  comparing  ideas  and  advising  with 
some  of  the  most  interested  of  the  officers  and  men  as  to 
the  style  and  trimmings  of  his  proposed  coat,  had  the 
pattern  completed — and  appeared  before  the  several 
companies  separately  assembled  at  The  Shakspeare  on 
the  evening  of  the  30th  of  August  following,  wearing  a 
complete  private's  uniform  and  equipments,  as  proposed, 
and  submitted  them  to  the  members  ;  and,  after  a  full 
and  free  canvass,  they  were  adopted  with  great  unanim- 
ity as 
THE  UNIFORM  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARDS! 

The  dress  consisted  of  a  short  coat  of  military  gray, 
or  cadet  mixed  cloth,  single-breasted  ;  square  standing 
collar ;  three  rows  of  buttons  in  front ;  black  braid  running 
back  from  each  button  across  the  breast ;  buttons  and 
braid  on  the  collars,  cuffs  and  pocket-flaps  ;  shoulder  caps, 
or  wings,  with  black  tufts  :  white  trowsers  :  glazed-leather 
caps,  with  bell  crowns,  and  trimmed  with  gold  and  silver 
tassels  ;  brass  initials  N.  Gr.  in  cipher  in  front  of  the  cap  ; 
white  pompon :  cartridge-box  and  bayonet-sheath  sus- 
pended from  a  white  belt  of  webbing  around  the  body  ; 
on  the  cartridge-box  was  the  "Cipher  of  the  Corps," — 
N.  G-.,  in  brass.  This  was  the  origin  and  introduction  of 
the  brass  cipher  in  military  ornaments  in  this  country, 
which  has  been  so  extensively  imitated  and  copied — some 
other  corps  even  adopting  an  appellation  that  tliey  might 
wear  the  identical  N.  Gr.     So  highly  appreciated  had  the 


34  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Corps,  and  its  dress  and  ornaments,  become,  and  so  talcing 
its  name,  that  it  seemed  the  highest  point  of  the  ambition 
and  of  the  mental  capacity  of  members  of  some  other 
organizations,  to  be  mistaken  for  a  "National  Guard." 


When  the  name  had  been  determined  on,  and  active 
measures  commenced  for  completing  the  organization  of 
the  new  Corps,  Corporal  Asher  Taylor,  of  the  Fourth 
Company,  devised  and  designed 

THE  COAT  OF  ARMS  AND  MOTTO. 

He  exhibited  a  sketch  of  it  to  Major  Wetmore,  who, 
approving  of  it,  procured  it  to  be  engraved  in  a  vignette 
cat,  and  presented  it  to  the  Board  of  Officers,  by  whom 
it  was  formally  adopted  as 
"  THE  HERALDIC  INSIGNIA  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARDS." 

The  Arms  consist  of  a  shield,  quarterly:  the  First 
grand  quarter,  the  shield  of  the  United  States  ;  the  Sec- 
ond, the  shield  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  the  Third, 
the  shield  of  the  City  of  New  York  ;  the  Fourth,  the 
initials  N.  Y.  S.  A.,  on  a  red  ground,  for  the  Corps  of 
Artillery  ;  on  an  in-escutcheon  of  gold,  the  cipher  of  the 
Corps,    "N.  G-." 

Crest  .♦—An  American  eagle  displayed,  proper. 
Motto : — "  Pro  Patria  et  Gloria." 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  35 

An  alteration  was  made  in  the  fourth  quarter,  in  1835, 
on  the  new  colors,  substituting  two  cannons  crossed  saltire- 
wise,  and  in  chief  a  blazing  bomb,  as  insignia  of  Artillery. 
{See  Frontispiece.) 

This  Coat  of  Arms,  solemnly  adopted  and  promulgated 
by  the  Corps  as  its  distinctive  insignia,  its  peculiar  Ensigns 
Armorial  and  Cognizance,  has  been  so  recognized  and 
respected  by  all  honorable  and  intelligent  men  from  that 
day,  now  more  than  forty  years  ago.  In  a  few  cases, 
however,  parties,  in  defiance  of  ordinary  good  manners, 
and  the  honorable  and  gentlemanly  instincts  which  it  is 
generally  claimed  govern  military  men  in  an  especial 
degree,  have  adopted  such  close  imitations  of  it  as  to  be 
hardly  distinguishable ;  and  some  have  taken  them 
wholly,  and  display  them  as  their  own  with  a  degree  of 
sapiency  and  easy  impudence  but  rarely  paralleled — 
except,  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  the  ass  assuming  the  lion's 
skin — and  which  in  the  days  of  chivalry  would  have 
doomed  the  offenders  to  ignominy,  disgrace,  and  the 
scorn  of  all  high-minded  men.  And  the  same  also  with 
the  metal  cipher. 

The  gray  uniform,  with  black  trimmings,  had  been 
worn  by  the  United  States  Cadets  at  West  Point  since 
1815 — prescribed  for  them  by  the  Government,  it  is  un- 
derstood, out  of  compliment  to  General  Winfield  Scott 
and  his  brigade,  who  fought  the  battles  of  Lundy's  Lane 


3g  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

and  Chippewa,  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  in  1814,  in  uni- 
forms of  GRAY,  trimmed  with  black,  the  Government 
being  unable  at  the  time  to  procure  supphes  of  blue,  the 
standard  army  color. 

The  National  Guard  was  the  first  corps  outside  the 
National  Academy  to  adopt  the  gray  as  a  permanent 
uniform ;  and  in  doing  so  every  pains  was  taken  to  avoid 
the  least  appearance  of  imitation  in  the  style  of  the  coat, 
buttons,  or  trimmings. 

When  the  gray  uniform  was  adopted,  in  August,  it  was 
understood  that  the  changes  were  not  intended  to  be 
carried  entirely  into  effect  before  the  next  spring,  but  as 
many  of  the  members  as  could  conveniently  do  so,  were 
requested  to  have  their  new  uniforms  prepared  by  the 
last  parades  in  the  fall.  Sergeant  Asher  Taylor  (of  the 
Fourth  Company)  tendered  his  services  to  act  as  Secre- 
tary to  the  Brigade-Inspector  at  the  approaching  annual 
inspection  of  the  Brigade  on  the  12th  and  16th  of  October, 
proposing  to  have  his  new  uniform  made  and  to  appear  in 
it ;  his  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  was  detailed  in  brigade 
orders  to  that  special  duty,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
inaugurating  the  gray  uniform  of  the  National  Guards 
by  the  first  exhibition  of  it  on  parade. 

As  "the  new  uniform  was  entirely  novel,  and  different 
from  all  others  before  worn  in  the  City,  it  attracted  much 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  37 

attention,  and  was  the  subject  of  general  remark  and 
criticism  in  military  circles.  The  other  regiments  were 
furnished  an  opportunity  to  observe  and  examine  the 
new  style  of  dress  that  was  destined  to  so  soon  outstrip 
them  all  in  the  contention  for  public  favor.* 

As  the  changes  and  improvements  so  long  contemplated 
assumed  form  and  reality,  Captain  Linus  W.  Stevens 
took  measures  for  procuring  a  transfer,  with  a  portion  of 
his  Company,  from  the  Heavy  Artillery  Battalion  of  the 
Regiment  to  the  new  Corps.  Several  other  parties  were 
invited  to  raise  companies  to  augment  its  strength.  Oli- 
ver M.  Lownds,  who  was  on  intimate  terms  with  many  of 
the  officers,  and  had  been  present  on  the  Battery  when 
the  name  of  National  Guard  was  first  suggested  by  Major 
Wilson,  concluded  to  organize  a  company,  and  as  an 
additional  inducement  to  him.  Captain  Stevens  proposed 
that  he  should  take  a  number  preceding  him. 

November  1st,  Major  Wilson  resigned  his  position  in 
relation  to  the  Corps  and  retired  from  the  Regiment,  in 
consequence  of  failing  health,  very  much  regretted  by  all 
his  associates,  to  whom  his  high  order  of  talents,  his 
enthusiastic  zeal  in  advancing  the  interest  of  the  Corps, 
and    his    genial   and    amiable    deportment   to    all,    had 


*  That  inspection  parade  was  "out  of  town,"  in  the  open  fields  south  of  St.  Luke's 
Church,  west  of  Hudson  street — somewhat  changed  since  that  day. 


33  RECOLLECTIONS  0^  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT. 

endeared  him  in  an  eminent  degree.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Captain  Irad  Hawley,  as  Major  of  the  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment. 

Those  members  who  had  their  new  uniforms  completed 
were  directed  to  parade  in  them  on  Evacuation  Day  (25th 
Nov.) ;  accordingly,  some  twenty  to  thirty  from  each  of 
the  four  companies  appeared  in  their  new  equipments, 
and  were  consolidated  on  the  right  of  the  battalion  line. 
This  was  the  j^rs^  exhibition  of  the  Corps  in  the  new  dress, 
and  from  the  circumstance  that  Captain  Telfair  of  the 
Second  Company  commanded  on  the  right  of  the  line, 
and  his  command  that  day  being  entirely  of  the  new  uni- 
form men,  it  has  been  stated  that  it  was  his  Company, 
the  Second,  that  first  appeared  on  parade  in  the  new 
dress,  which  is  entirely  erroneous  ;  the  first  parade  in  the 
gray  coat  was  of  men  from  all  the  four  companies. 

When  the  regimental  parade  was  dismissed,  a  detach- 
ment of  men,  those  in  the  gray  uniforms,  escorted  the 
colors  to  the  quarters  of  the  Colonel,  Peter  W.  Spicer,  in 
the  Bowery,  where  they,  together  with  the  officers  of  the 
Regiment,  were  regaled  with  a  spread  of  wine,  punch, 
and  other  refreshments. 

By  Regimental  Orders  of  December  25th,  1824,  the 
Fifth  Company  of  National  Guards  was  recognized  and 
admitted  into  the  Regiment : 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  39 

Oliver  M.  Lownds,  its  Captain. 

Charles  B.  Spicer  (late  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Com- 
pany, and  Sergeant-Major  of  the  11th  Regiment) 
the  First  Lieutenant. 

William  H.  Inslee,  Second  Lieutenant. 

By  the  following  order  the  Sixth  Company  was  received 
by  transfer  from  the  First  or  Heavy  Artillery  Battalion 
of  the  Regiment : 

ELEVENTH  REGIMENT  N.  T.  S.  ARTILLERY. 
SPECIAL    ORDER. 

New  York,  December  27th,  1824. 
Captain  Linus  W.  Stevens,  now  doing  duty  in  the  First  Battalion  of 
this  Regiment,  is  hereby  directed  to  forthwith  detach  one  Lieutenant  and 
any  number  of  men,  not  to  exceed  twenty-five,  from  the  Company  now 
under  his  command,  and  organize  the  same  to  perform  duty  as  Infantry  in 
the  Second  Battalion,  and  to  assume  the  command  of  the  same ;  and 
to  report  himself  and  officer  so  detached  to  the  Commandant  of  the  said 
Battalion ;  he  is  also  directed  to  assume  the  name  and  uniform  of  the  Na- 
tional Guards. 

By  order  of  Peter  "W.  Spicer,  Colonel. 

G.  F.  Everson,  Adjutant. 

Accordingly,  on  the  29th  December,  Captain  Stevens, 
First  Lieutenant  John  H.  Williams,  and  twenty-five 
men,  were  so  detached,  and  measures  taken  to  carry  out 
their  organization  as  the  Sixth  Company  of  National 
Guards. 


By  a  General  Order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  of 


40  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REGIMENT. 

January,  1825,  the  First  Brigade  of  Artillery  was  reor- 
ganized :* 

"  The  companies  of  the  Second  and  Meventh  Regiments 
"  doing  duty  with  muskets,  with  the  staff  and  music  of 
"the  present  Second  Regiment,  Colonel  Robert  F.  Man- 
"ley,  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  A.  Moore,  and  Major 
^^  Irad  Hawley,  to  constitute  the  Second  Regiment." 

By  which  it  will  be  noted  the  Corps  became  consoli- 
dated with,  and  incorporated  in,  the  Second  Regiment, 
which  then  consisted  of  four  companies  of  La  Fayette 
Gfuards  and  two  companies  of  Clinton  Guards,  being  six 
companies  from  the  old  Second,  constituting  one  Battal- 
ion, and  our  six  companies  of  National  Guards,  from  the 
Eleventh,  constituting  the  other  Battalion. 

All  the  other  regiments  of  the  Brigade  were  in  Hke 
manner  disintegrated  and  reorganized  under  the  new 
''dear 

It  was  amicably  arranged  amongst  the  officers  of  the 
newly  organized  Second  Regiment  that  the  right  of  the 
regimental  line  should  belong  to  the  battalion  which 
should   have  the    senior  captain  of  the   Regiment.     On 


*  This  was  the  "  new  shuffle  and  deal "  in  anticipation  of  which  there  had  been 
for  a  year  or  two  past,  so  much  "  finessing"  amongst  the  officers. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  4  J 

the  first  parade  of  the  Regiment,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
1825,  the  question  of  seniority  came  up,  and  after  a  good 
deal  of  wranghng  and  disputation,  it  was  decided  in  favor 
of  Captain  Stevens  ;  consequently  the  right  was  taken  by 
the  National  Guards,  much  to  the  disappointment  and 
chagrin  of  the  officers  of  the  other  Battalion,  who  had 
calculated,  when  the  arrangement  was  made,  on  a  dif- 
ferent state  of  facts  as  to  seniority. 

On  the  6th  June,  the  resignation  of  Major  Irad  Haw- 
ley^  of  the  Second  Regiment,  was  accepted ;  and  on  the 
12th,  Major  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Brigade-Major,  for- 
merly Captain  of  the  Fourth  Company,  was  elected  to 
fill  the  vacancy. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  Corps  on  parade  as  a  sep- 
arate command  was  for  an  excursion  for  target  practice, 
which  took  place  in  August  of  this  year.  After  examin- 
ing various  points  in  the  vicinity  of  the  City,  Blooming- 
dale  had  been  determined  on,  and  Barnet's  Mansion- 
House  selected  for  Head-Quarters. 

I  have  been  permitted  to  reproduce  from  the  Minutes 
of  the  Fourth  Company  the  following  record  of  the  affair., 
as  written  down  at  the  time  : 

SECOND  REGIMENT  N.  Y.  S.  ARTILLERY. 
EXTRACT  FROM  REGIMENTAL   ORDERS. 

New  York,  July  29th,  1825. 
The  several   companies   of   this   Regiment  denominated    National 
Guards  are  directed  to  assemble,  fully  uniformed  and  equipped,  for  military 

6 


42  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

improvement,  on  Friday^  5th  August  next,  in  the  Park  in  front  of  the  City 
Hall :  Battalion  line  to  form  at  7  o'clock,  A,  M. 

By  order  of  Robert  F,  Manley,  Colonel, 

J.  D.  EvEHSON,  Adjutant. 


On  Friday,  August  5th,  the  Battalion  paraded  in  obedience  to  the  above 
orders.  Line  was  formed  under  command  of  Major  Prosper  M.  "Wet- 
more,  of  the  Second  Regiment,  at  7  A.M.,  (Lieutenant  Charles  B.  Spicer, 
of  the  5th  Company,  acting  as  Adjutant*)  and  marched  to  the  foot  of  Roose- 
velt street,  where  it  embarked  in  good  order  on  board  the  steamboat  John 
Marshall,  for  Bloomingdale,  Avhere  preparations  had  been  made  for  the 
exercises  of  the  day.  The  landing  was  effected  opposite  Barnefs  Man- 
sion-House in  beautiful  style — the  steamboat  was  moored  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  wild,  rocky  shore,  and  an  extempore  bridge  constructed,  a  la  pon- 
toon, of  the  small  boats  and  gang-planks,  over  which  the  Battalion  marched 
to  land  in  the  most  perfect  order.  The  scene  was  singularly  picturesque 
and  beautiful  as  the  troops  filed  across  the  slight  bridge,  over  the  rocky 
and  uneven  shore,  and  moved  up  the  steep  bank,  through  a  wild  and  rural 
foot-path,  to  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  Mansion-House ;  the  Battalion  was 
there  formed  for  review.  General  Benedict  received  the  marching  salute 
as  the  troops  proceeded  to  the  ground  selected  for  the  firing,  where  the 
companies  were  dismissed,  for  the  special  duties  of  the  day,  to  the  com- 
mand of  their  respective  officers. 

After  the  firing  was  completed,  the  Battalion  was  re-formed  and  marched 
to  the  House,  and  dismissed  for  recreation. 

Among  the  officers  who  accompanied  the  expedition  were  General 
Benedict  (Commander  of  the  Brigade)  and  staff.  Colonel  Broivn  and 
Lieut.-Col.  Kumhel  (both  late  of  Eleventh  Regiment),  Lieut.-Col.  Stone 
(Editor  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser),  and  Major  Noah  (Editor  of  the 
National  Advocate),  Lieut. -Colonel  Ho2jktns,  of  Eleventh  Regiment,  Com- 
missary-General Muir,  and  a  number  of  others. 

It  was  observed  that  Barnet,  commander-in-chief  of  the  "Mansion- 
"  House,"  had  been,  during  the  early  part  of  the  day,  actively  engaged  with 
his  whole  army  of  cooks,  har-maids,  waiters,  scullions,  &c.,  in  constructing 
extensive  works  in  the  orchard  to  the  left  of  his  house ;  and  when  the  roll 
of  the  "  spirit{s)- stirring  drum"  was  heard  summoning  the  men  to  their  duty, 
it  was  understood  at  once  that  an  assault  upon  Barnet's  works  was  contem- 
plated by  our  leader;  and  from  the  reputed  skill  of  the  engineers  and 


*  Gexkral  Spicer  may  well  look  back,  in  after  times,  through  all  his  promotions, 
honors,  and  distinctions,  and  exult  in  the  incident  in  his  early  life  of  having  been  the 
first  to  draw  a  sword  in  front  of  the  now  world-wide  renowned  "National  Guard." 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  43 

artificers  who  had  dh-ected  the  operations  of  Barnet,  a  ^^warm"  reception 
was  expected. 

The  active  duties  in  which  our  men  had  been  engaged  during  the  morn- 
ing had  prepared  their  "appetites  for  slaughter,"  so  that  they  moved  to  the 
charge  Avith  a  firm,  undaunted  step,  the  band  playing  a  stomach-inspiring 
tune,  which  the  men  (snuffing  the  air)  pronounced  to  be  "Roast  Beef,"  or 
something  that  sounded  (or  smelt)  vastly  like  it. 

By  a  skillful  movement  to  our  right,  Barnet  was  taken  in  flank,  and  the 
whole  of  his  formidable  array  was  surrounded  and  pronounced  an  easy 
conquest,  as  his  garrison  appeared  to  be  scantily  provided  with  "provant" 
and  deficient  in  destructive  weapons.*  At  a  given  signal  the  assault  com- 
menced at  all  points  simultaneously,  and  never  since  the  Battle  of  "Water- 
loo (or  the  last  target-firing  dinner)  has  there  been  seen  such  carnage  and 
slaughter;  nothing  could  withstand  the  charge — neither  age  nor  sex,  rank 
nor  condition,  was  spared — duck  and  drake,  pigs,  poultry,  beef  and  mutton 
— all,  all,  met  a  common  doom,  and  disappeared 

"  Like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision." 

.Burnetts  formidable  array, 

"  His  cloud-capped  towers,  his  gorgeous  palaces — 
"  All,  like  an  insubstantial  pageant,  faded, 
"And  left  not  a  wreck  behind." 

Our  gallant  Major  conducted  himself  with  the  greatest  deliberation  and 
bravery.  At  the  commencement  of  the  operations  he  "took  the  chair"  in 
the  most  elevated  and  exposed  position,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  gallant 
band  of  officers  of  different  corps,  the  veterans  of  many  a  well-spread 
dinner,  who  all  appeared  to  perform  with  alacrity  the  exercises  in  which 
they  had  been  invited  to  join. 

At  length  the  conflict  ceased — there  is  an  end  appointed  for  all  things, 
especially  for  dinner-scenes  peculiarly  circumstanced  as  this  was — a  liberal 
supply  of  the  "generous  juice"  was  brought  forth,  which  had  a  marvelous 
effect  upon  the  spirits  of  the  men;  all  was  mirth  and  "jollity," 

"  Quibs  and  cranks,  and  wanton  wiles, 
"  Sport  that  wrinkled  care  derides, 
"And  laughter  holding  both  his  sides." 

Many  a  gallant  spirit  was  toasted,  and  patriotic  sentiment  proposed  and 
drank;  and  when 

"  Our  Country — she  stands  the  landmark  of  freedom  and  the  home  of  the  oppressed," 

was  given  from  the  Chair,  it  was  received  with  tremendous  acclamation : 

*  There  were  more  men  than  Barnet  had  prepared  for,  and  consequently  a  short 
supply  of  provisions,  knives  and  forks,  and  everything  else. 


44  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


Such  a  noise  arose 


"  As  the  shrouds  make  at  sea  in  a  stiff  tempest, 
"  As  loud  and  to  as  many  tunes." 

Our  great  Commander-in-Chief  (then  De  "Witt  Clinton) — Our  General 
(James  Benedict) — The  Nation's  Guest,  La  Fayette — Bolivar,  the  Star 
of  Liberty  in  the  Southern  Hemisphere — aye,  all  who  have  '■'■had  to  do 
'■^  with  TAberty"  y^QVQ  remembered  with  enthusiasm.  The  following  was 
given  from  the  Chair : 

"  Our  Guests — the  countenance  and  encouragement  of  experience  and  science  will 
"  direct  and  animate  «s  in  the  path  to  military  distinction." 

Lieut.-  Col.  Stone  gave  in  return  the  following,  adapted  from  Shakspeare : 

"  Our  worthy  and  approved  good  friends, 

"  We  have  kind  souls  that  would  give  you  thanks, 

"But  scarce  know  how  to  do  it."     "Health  to  alll 

"  May  you  be  here  as  merry 

"  As  good  company,  good  wishes,  and  good  feelings 

"  Can  make  good  soldiers.     And  when  you  go  hence 

'•  Fair  thoughts  and  happy  hours  attend  you, 

"  And  affectionate  wives  and  pretty  sweethearts  await  you." 

After  dinner,  when  the  long  roll  was  beat  and  the  Battalion  paraded  on 
the  lawn  in  front  of  the  house,  not  a  man  was  missing,  notwithstanding  the 
perilous  service  they  had  performed  and  the  scenes  of  danger  through 
which  they  had  passed. 

The  wings  were  thrown  forward  to  form  a  square,  and  those  who  had 
won  the  prizes  called  to  the  centre  and  addressed  by  Lieut.-Col.  Stone  to 
the  following  effect : 

"  Citizen  Soldiers  : — I  have  the  honor  of  being  selected  to  award  the 
"  prizes  which  have  been  won  by  the  competitors  of  the  National  Guards 
"  this  day ;  and  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  in  doing  so  to  speak  not  only 
"  of  your  skill,  but  of  the  good  order  and  discipline  which  pervades  the 
"  Corps.  In  the  militia  as  well  as  in  the  standing  army,  discipline  is  indis- 
" pensably  necessary.  True,  the  soldier  is  a  citizen;  but  while  on  duty 
"the  personal  liberty  of  the  citizen  is  in  some  degree  merged  in  that  of  the 
"soldier.  In  Europe,  the  people  are  enslaved  by  the  soldiery;  but  hap- 
"pily  in  free  America  our  army  is  composed  of  the  people,  and  no  enlight- 
"  ened  people  will  enslave  themselves.  Your  bayonets  are  for  the  defence 
"  of  honor  and  the  maintenance  of  the  freedom  of  your  coimtry ;  and  the 
*•  military  power  is  designed  to  defend  and  support,  not  overthrow,  the 
"  civil. 

"  These  prizes  which  you  have  so  handsomely  won  are  to  be  regarded  as 
"  rewards  for  experiments  in  the  rudiments  of  tactics.  The  road  to  honor 
"  and  preferment  here  is  not  circumscribed  by  the  narrow  limits  of  hered 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  45 

"  itary  claims — it  is  as  broad  as  our  continent  and  as  free  as  the  wind  that 
"  sweeps  over  it ;  strive  then  in  the  march  for  fame  and  glory  to  reach  the 
'•utmost  summit — always  recollecting  that  a  soldier  s  character  must  be  spot- 
"  Uss^  his  honor  untarnished,  and  his  courage  unsuspected." 

After  the  prizes  were  presented  to  the  different  successful  marksmen, 
the  Battalion  was  marched  to  the  shore,  where  the  steamer  was  in  waiting. 
In  consequence  of  the  lowness  of  the  tide  she  could  not  approach  suffi- 
ciently near  the  shore  to  construct  the  bridge ;  the  men  were  therefore 
conveyed  to  her  in  boats. 

The  embarkation  was  effected  in  perfect  order  and  regularity,  and  pre- 
sented a  scene  particularly  striking ;  as  the  Battalion  descended  the  bank 
through  an  obscure  and  irregular  footpath  to  the  margin  of  the  river — the 
groups  of  officers  and  men  upon  the  rocks  on  the  shore,  the  boats  plying 
in  rapid  succession  filled  with  soldiers,  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  glanc- 
ing from  their  glittering  arms — all  conspired  to  form  a  scene  of  rare  beauty 
and  magnificence,  and  strikingly  "  a  la  mtlitaire." 

The  expedition  terminated  about  8  o'clock,  the  Battalion  being  dismissed 
at  that  hour  at  the  Park;  and  thus  ended  the  ANNUAL  TARGET- 
FIRING  EXCURSION,  which  had  been  looked  forward  to  for  many 
weeks  with  such  high  expectations  of  enjoyment,  and  in  many  instances 
with  strong  hopes  of  individual  distinction  in  the  competition  for  the  prizes. 


Under  the  following  General  Order,  the  Corps  ac- 
quired a  distinct  legal  position  and  a  name  : 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK— GENERAL  ORDERS. 

Albany,  October  1st,  1825. 
THE  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  hereby  directs  that  the  several  com- 
panies now  belonging  to  the  Second  Regiment,  First  Brigade,  of  New 
York  State  Artillery,  commanded  by  Captains  Stevens,   Tel/air,    Curtis, 
Simons,  Lownds,  and  Lieut.-Commandant  Flinn,  at  present  comprising 

The  Battalion  of  National  Guards, 
of  the  Second  Regiment,  be  detached  therefrom  and  organized  as  a  sepa- 
rate Battalion.     Major  Prosper  M.  Wetmore  is  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  said  Battalion. 

By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  [then  De  Witt  Clinton], 

N.  F.  Beck,  Adjutant-General. 


The  Corps  now  having  a  technical  baptism  and  a  legal 


46  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

name,  assumed  the  "free  and  independent"  position  at 
which  it  had  been  aiming,  and  stepped  off,  unshackled,  in 
the  forward  movement  to  distinction  and  renown  which 
lay  out  before  it. 

On  the  12th  October,   1825,    Battalion  Orders  an- 
nounce : 


A  new  Company  having  been  organized  and  admitted  into  the  Battalion, 
it  Avill  hereafter  be  recognized  as  the  "  7th  Company,"  and  will  be  com- 
manded by  Captain  Egbert  J.  Van  Beuren  ;  George  N.  Allen,  First- 
Lieutenant. 


The  following  staff-appointments  were  announced  Octo- 
ber 12th,  1825  : 

John  J.  Manning,  Quarter- Master, 

Sidney  P.  Ingraham,  Pay -Master, 

Doctor  David  W.  Bryan,  Surgeon's-Mate. 

Lieutenant  Charles  B.  Spicer,  Acting- Adjutant. 
Simeon  J.  Drake^  of  the  6th  Company,  Sergeant- Major ;  Samuel  L.  Post, 
of  the  2d  Company,  Assistant  Sergeant-Major ;  Myer  Myers,  o^  the  5th 
Company,  Quarter-Master  Sergeant. 

Brigade   Orders   of    19th    October,    1825,    announce 
elections  on  the  18th  : 


In  the  Battalion  of  National  Guards — 

Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Lieut. -Colonel. 
Linus  "W.  Stevens,  Major. 


On  the  19th  of  October,  Lieutenant  Andrew  Warner 
is    announ'^ed    as    Adjutant,    Lieut.    Charles    B.     Spicer 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVPIXTH  REGIMENT.  ^^ 

being  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Fifth  Company. 
Orderly-Sergeant  James  B.  Wilson,  Standard-Bearer. 

"A  feather,  one-third  black  and  two-thirds  white,  not 
"exceeding  eight  inches  in  length,"  was  adopted  to  be 
worn  by  the  Field  and  Staff  of  the  Battalion. 

The  officers  and  men  of  all  ranks  now  entered  with 
one  accord,  and  increased  zeal,  upon  a  course  of  united 
effort  to  advance  the  strength,  character,  and  efficiency 
of  the  new  Corps  ;  and  especially  the  acquisition  of  the 
highest  degree  of  proficiency  in  "war's  dread  art." 

The  Battalion  paraded  on  Saturday,  19th  November, 
1825,  as  part  of  a  detachment,  usual  at  that  time  on  occa- 
sion of  executions  in  public,  "to  aid  in  preserving  the 
"peace  at  the  execution  of  James  Reynolds,  convicted 
"  of  murder ;"  but  not  from  the  least  apprehension  of 
any  disturbance  beyond  the  ordinary  excitement  of  a 
large  crowd.* 

Battalion  Orders,  December  27th,  1825,  announce  as 
commissioned  in  the  Corps  :  , 

*  The  narrator  haa  no  "  recollection"  of  the  ridiculous  story  in  reference  to  the 
conduct  of  one  of  the  ofiBcers  of  the  Battalion  absenting  himself  from  duty  on  this 
occasion,  put  forth  a  few  years  ago  in  an  ephemeral  publication,  and  asserts  that  it  is 
entirely  unfounded,  as,  if  there  had  been  any  grounds  for  it,  he  must  have  known  it. 
The  other  httle  matter  of  "the  flask,"  stated  in  the  same  connection,  he  "recollects" 
well,  for  he  knew  it  thfn. 


48  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

James  Flinn,  Jr.,  Captain  1st  Company, 
John  H.  Williams,  Captain  6tli  Company, 
David  T.  ValeAtine,  Captain  3d  Company, 
Levi  Hart,  First  Lieutenant  1st  Company, 
Seymour  Hoyt,  First  Lieutenant  Gth  Company, 

and  the  appointment  of 

Doctor  Edward  Marcellin,  Surgeon's-Mate. 

A  Committee  sometime  previously  appointed,  consist- 
ing of  Major  Stevens,  Captain  Flinn,  Quarter-Master 
Manning,  Lieut.  G-.  N.  Allen,  and  Lieut.  P.  H.  Holt,  "to 
"  designate  and  describe  the  uniform  to  be  observed  by 
"  the  members  composing  the  Corps,"  presented  a  report 
March  2d,  1826,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Offi- 
cers, as  follows,  and  ordered  to  be  printed  for  the  Corps, 
establishing  the  details  of  -the 

BILL  OF  DRESS  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARDS. 

THE  UNIFORM  of  the  Corps  shall  consist  of  a  short  coat  or  coatee 
of  mixed  cloth,  a  cap  of  black  glazed  leather,  and  white  pantaloons,  as 
follows : 

1.  THE  COAT  shall  be  of  the  "Military  Gray"  manufactured  for  this 
Corps,  and  for  the  United  States  Cadets ;  single-breasted ;  square  standing- 
collar,  to  meet  and  hook  under  the  chin ;  a  double  strip  of  black  silk  braid 
to  extend  around  the  collar,  and  a  blind  button-hole  of  the  same  to  com- 
mence at  the  front  and  extend  back  on  each  side  three  and  a-half  inches, 
and  terminate  in  three  fan  loops,  with  a  button  in  the  center  of  the  loops ; 
one  row  of  buttons  in  front,  to  be  placed  one  and  a-half  inches  apart  (the 
number  to  vary  in  conformity  to  the  size  of  the  person)  ;  blind  button-holes 
of  the  braid  to  extend  across  the  front  from  each  button  (conforming  to 
the  direction  of  the  collar),  and  terminate  in  three  fan  loops ;  the  length  to 
rary,  being  longest  across  the  chest,  and  diminishing  gradually  above  and 
below.     The  cuffs  three  inches  deep,  with  four  buttons  around  the  upper 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  49 

edge  in  front,  a  blind  button-hole  to  extend  downwards  from  each  button 
and  terminate  in  three  fan  loops  (to  correspond  with  the  breast) ;  four 
buttons  on  each  pocket-flap,  with  blind  button-holes  as  on  the  cuff  and 
breast ;  four  buttons  on  the  plait  or  folds  of  each  skirt,  viz. :  one,  one  inch 
from  the  bottom  of  the  skirt,  one  at  the  top,  a  third  midway  between  the 
two,  and  the  fourth  one  and  a-half  inches  above  the  third,  the  two  buttons 
at  the  top  of  the  skirt  to  be  enclosed  in  a  diamond  of  braid,  with  a  similar 
diamond  between  them ;  the  edge  of  the  back  skirts  to  be  trimmed  with  a 
stripe  of  braid  to  commence  at  the  top  of  the  skirt,  on  the  outward  or 
front  edge,  extending  downwards  on  the  skirt  (varying  from  one  to  two 
inches  from  the  front  edge  to  within  one  and  a-half  to  two  inches  of  the 
bottom,  and  turn  with  a  single  loop  continuing  to  the  lower  corner  in  front ; 
on  the  corner  of  the  skirt,  between  the  braid  and  front  edge,  to  be  placed  a 
diamond  of  braid ;  on  the  back  of  the  coat  a  stripe  of  braid,  to  commence 
at  each  of  the  buttons  at  the  top  of  the  skirt,  and  follow  the  two  outer 
seams  of  the  back  to  the  shoulder,  thence  along  the  sleeve  to  the  shoulder- 
seam,  and  following  that  to  the  collar. 

2.  The  Wings  to  consist  of  a  shoulder-cap  of  cloth  like  the  coat,  three 
inches  deep  in  the  center,  diminishing  gradually  to  a  point  each  way ;  to 
be  padded  full  and  secured  to  the  shoulders  at  the  top  seam  of  the  sleeve, 
by  the  upper  edge ;  a  stripe  of  black  braid  on  the  upper  edge,  and  diagonal 
stripes  of  the  same  to  be  placed  one  inch  apart  on  the  top,  a  tuft  of  black 
worsted  on  the  outer  edge.  The  width  of  braid  "around  the  collar,"  "on 
"the  back,"  "the  diamonds,"  and  on  the  "inner  edge  of  the  skirts,"  to  be 
three-eighths  of  an  inch,  the  remainder  to  be  one-eighth. 

3.  The  Buttons  of  the  pattern  manufactured  for  this  Battalion,  and 
known  as   "TAe  Button  of  the  National  Guards." 

4.  The  Pantaloons  of  plain  white  linen  or  cotton,  and  long  enough  to 
touch  the  instep ;  worn  over  boots. 

5.  The  Cap  to  be  bell-crowned,  seven  inches  high  in  front;  the  vizor 
to  be  of  black  leather,  circular,  two  and  a-half  inches  deep  at  the  widest 
part ;  the  cap  to  terminate  at  the  lower  edge  in  a  point  at  the  back  part 
of  the  head.  Trimmings,  plain  brass  scales  in  front,  and  one  inch  above 
the  scales  the  initials  N.  G.  in  cipher,  over  which  an  eagle  measuring  three 
inches  between  the  tips  of  the  wings ;  both  the  initials  and  eagle  to  be 
brass.  On  the  upper  edge  in  front  a  black  leather  cockade,  with  a  small 
yellow  button  with  an  eagle  impressed  on  it.  Tassels  of  gold  bullion,  three 
inches  in  length,  finished  with  silver  at  each  extremity,  to  be  suspended, 
by  a  gold  and  silver  cord  four  inches  long,  from  a  ring  at  the  upper  edge 
at  the  right  side  of  the  cap.  Pompon,  white,  five  inches  in  length,  to  be 
worn  in  front  and  inserted  into  the  cap  through  a  plain  brass  ball. 

6.  Stock,  or  cravat  black,  and  plain  in  front. 

7.  Gloves  of  deep  buff. 

7 


5Q  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

ARMS  AND  ACGOUTERMENTS. 

1.  Musket  according  to  law,  with  a  white  sling  of  linen  or  cotton  web- 
bing. 

2.  Cartouch  Box  of  black  leather,  with  the  initials  N.  G.  of  brass; 
suspended  by  loops  of  black  leather. 

3.  Bayonet  Sheath  of  the  same,  suspended  by  a  throg  of  the  same. 

4.  Belt  of  white  webbing,  secured  in  front  by  brass  plate  or  clasp.* 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

1.  The  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  Sergeants  and  the  Corporals  will  be 
uniformed  the  same  as  the  privates,  with  the  exception  of  the  trimmings 
on  the  wings,  where  gold  lace  will  be  substituted  for  braid ;  and  with  the 
addition  of  a  small,  straight  sword,  with  yellow  mountings,  and  black  leather 
scabbard,  suspended  by  a  throg,  to  correspond  with  the  bayonet. 

2.  The  Orderly  Sergeant  will  be  permitted  to  dispense  with  musket,  «fec., 
and  wear  a  sword  the  same  as  above  defined,  suspended  in  the  same  man- 
ner to  a  similar  belt.  Coat  the  same  as  that  of  the  other  non-commis- 
sioned officers. 

OFFICERS'  UNIFORMS. 

1.  Field  Officers'  coats  will  be  trimmed  as  above  defined  (using  gold 
lace  in  lieu  of  braid),  with  the  addition  of  three  chevrons  reversed  on 
each  skirt.     They  will  wear  epaulettes  and  the  chapeau  de  bras. 

2.  Company  and  commissioned  staff  officers  (with  the  exception  of  the 
Surgeons)  will  have  the  "trimmings  on  the  collar"  and  the  "diamonds"  of 
gold  lace.      Wings  of  gold  bullion,  protected  by  gilt  scales  and  chains. 

3.  The  coat  of  medical  officers  shall  correspond  with  those  of  the  Bat- 
talion in  point  of  color. 

4.  The  swords  worn  by  field,  staff  and  medical  officers  shall  be  gold- 
mounted,  and  straight  blades — suspended  by  gilt  chains  to  a  gold-laced 
belt,  secured  in  front  by  a  gilt  plate  or  clasp ;  sash  of  red  silk  net. 

5.  Sergeant- Majors  and  Quarter-Master  Sergeants  will  wear  the  same 
uniform  as  the  Orderly-Sergeants,  with  the  addition  of  a  sash  of  red  silk  net. 

distinctions. 

1.  Captains  will  wear  a  chevron  on  each  arm  above  the  elbow. 

2.  Subalterns  will  wear  a  chevron  on  each  arm  below  the  elbow. 

3.  Staff  Officers  (with  the  exception  of  Adjutant  and  Sergeant- 
Majors)  will  wear,  in  addition  to  the  chevrons  of  their  rank,  a  lend  of  gold 
lace  on  the  right  arm  above  the  elbow. 

4.  The  Adjutant  will  wear  an  arc  of  gold  fringe  connecting  the  two 
extreme  points  of  the  chevron. 


*  In  1827,  cross-belts  of  white  webbing  were  added. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^\ 

5.  The  Sergeant- Majors  will  wear  an  arc  similar  to  that  of  the  Adjutant. 

6.  Sergeants  will  wear  a  chevron  on  each  arm  below  the  elbow. 

7.  Corporals  will  wear  a  chevron  on  each  arm  above  the  elbow.* 

Per  Battalion  Orders  of  April  1st,  1826  : 

.  Charles  B.  Spicek,  from  the  5th  Company,  Captain  7th  Company. 
Robert  B.  Boyd,  Captain  5th  Company. 
Philetus  H.  Holt,  Second  Lieutenant  4th  Company, 
George  L.  Pride  succeeded  Lieutenant  Spicer  as  First  Lieutenant  5th 

Compan3^ 

John  D.  Wilson,  late  our  Major  of  Eleventh  Regiment, 
is  announced  as  Division  Inspector,  on  the  staff  of  Major- 
General  Benedict,  April  27th,  1826,  a  position  which  he 
held  but  a  few  months,  his  impaired  health  compelling 
him  to  relinquish  his  ardent  desire  for  a  connection  with 
the  service. 

On  the  6th  May,  1826,  a  new  Company,  the  Eighth, 
was  announced  as  organized  in  the  Battalion  of  National 
Guards — Andrew  Warner,  Captain  ;  William  P.  Mil- 
lard, First  Lieutenant ;  Adolphus  Davenport,  Second 
Lieutenant. 

The  Corps  having  now,  nominally,  eight  companies,  the 
quota  required  for  a  Regiment,  the  Commander-in-Chief 
at  once  directed  it,  under  the  following  General  Order, 
to  be  so  constituted  and  organized : 


*  Knapsacks,  gray  pants,  fatigue  jackets,  or  fatigue  caps,  were  unknown  in  the 
Corps  at  that  time;  they  were  gradually  worked  in,  one  at  a  time,  in  subsequent 
years. 


52  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

STATE  OP  NEW  YORK. 
GENERAL   ORDERS. 

Head-Quarters,  Albany,  May  6th,  1826. 
The  Commander-in-Chief  hereby  directs  that  the  Battalion  of  National 
Guards  in  the  City  of  New  York,  now  under  the  command  of  Lieut. - 
Colonel  P.  M.  Wetmore,  and  attached  to  the  First  Brigade  of  New  York 
State  Artillery,  be  organized  into  a  Regiment  to  be  denominated  the 
TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT  OF  ARTILLERY. 
By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 

N.  F.  Beck,  Adjutant-General. 

May  23d,  1826,  an  election  under  the  new  organization 
for  field  officers  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  was 
held  at  "The  Shakspeare,"  and 

Lieut.-Colonel  Prosper  M.  Wetmore  was  elected 
Colonel. 

Major  Linus  W.  Stevens  was  elected  Lieut.-Colonel. 

Captain  John  Telfair  was  elected  Major. 

Major  Telfair  resigned  June  20th,  1826.  Captain 
Howard  A.  Simons,  of  the  Fourth  Company,  was  elected 
Major,  June  27th,  1826. 

The    subject   of   providing  Colors  for  the  Corps  had 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  Board  of  Officers  as  soon  as 
the  Battalion  was  detached  as  a  separate  command  ;  and  a 
Committee  consisting  of 
Captain  Telfair, 

Captain  Flinn, 

Lieutenant  Spicer,  and 

Doctor  Marcellin, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  53 

was  appointed  for  the   procuring  of  a   standard,  to  be 
"The  Banner  of  the  National  Guard." 

The  Committee  spent  some  time  in  beating  around, 
and  bowing,  and  flirting,  and  coquetting  among  their  fair 
friends,  in  the  hope  of  ehciting  an  offer  from  some  of 
them  to  embroider  and  present  a  standard  ;  and  "  Young 
^^  Moustache'^  of  the  present  day  will  be  amazed  to  learn 
that  aU  their  efforts  were  vain,  as  they  reported  on  the 
29th  of  March  (1826)  that  "the  expectations  hitherto 
"  entertained  on  that  subject  had  not  been  realized  !" — a 
humiliating  admission  that  would  well-nigh  "burst  the 
"kids"  of  half  the  gallant  and  irresistible  fellows  of  the 
Regiment  in  these  latter  days.  The  season  being  ad- 
vanced, the  Committee  was  directed  to  select  a  proper 
design,  and  procure,  without  further  delay,  the  standard 
to  be  embroidered  by  Mrs.  Lloyd  D.  Windsor,  who  had 
performed  similar  work  for  several  regiments. 

Subscription  papers  for  the  requisite  funds  had  been 
circulated  amongst  the  9fficers  and  men  and  promptly 
filled  up. 

The  Committee  accepted  a  design  proffered  by  Sergeard 
AsHER  Taylor,  of  the  Fourth  Company,  which  he  traced 
on  the  silk,  and  the  work  was  put  in  hand  under  his 
supervision,  and  pushed  forward  so  that  the  standard  was 
completed  and  ready  for  delivery  by  the  latter  part  of 
May. 


54  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

At  a  Meeting  of  the  Board  of  Officers,  April  6,  1826, 
the  following  preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted : 


Whereas,  Sergeant  Taylor,  of  the  Fourth  Company  of  National  Guards, 
having  assisted  the  Standard  Committee  in  giving  a  suitable  design  to  be 
embroidered  for  the  banner  of  this  Battalion,  and  also  facilitating  the  duties 
of  the  Committee  for  prescribing  the  uniform  of  this  Corps ;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  officers  of  this  Battalion  be  presented 
to  Sergeant  Asheb  Taylor,  of  the  Fourth  Company,  for  his  skill  and 
ingenuity  exercised  in  sketching  a  suitable  design  for,  and  tracing  it  on  the 
silk  intended  for, 

The  Banner  of  the  National  Guards, 
and  also  for  assistance  rendered  in  furnishing  the  "  Bill  of  Dress"  lately 
adopted.     [He  having  prepared  the  text  of  the  document.] 


The  First  Parade  of  the  new  Regiment,  in  full  uni- 
form, was  on  the  31st  of  May,  1826,  for  the  reception  of 
the  new  Colors. 

The  formation  was  in  Park  Place,  and  the  Regiment 
marched  to  the  front  of  the  City  Hall,  when  the  Honora- 
ble Philip  Hone,  Mayor  of  the  City,  who  had  kindly 
consented  to  perform  the  ceremony,  delivered  the  stan- 
dard to  Colonel  Wetmore,  with  an  eloquent  and  compli- 
mentary address. 

The  Flag  was  of  red  silk,  bearing,  beautifully  embroid- 
ered thereon,  the  Colors  of  the  Corps,  being  the  coat 
of  arms  on  a  shield,  with  the  crest  and  motto,  supported 
by  wreaths  of  oak  and  laurel,  and  surrounded  by  golden 
stars. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  55 

The  Board  of  Officers  having  some  time  previously 
ordered  a  "State  Standard,"  to  complete  a  full  suit  of 
colors  for  the  Regiment,  and  the  Committee  on  the  Regi- 
mental Standard  conceiving  that  their  duties  ended  with 
the  completion  of  that  flag,  they  were  discharged  with  a 
vote  of  thanks  of  the  Board  for  the  satisfactory  manner 
in  which  they  had  discharged  the  duty  assigned  them. 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  1826,  the  Board 

Resolved,  That  a  Committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  take  charge  of  and 
to  superintend  the  completion  of  the  State  Banner,  now  in  the  hands  of  Mrs. 
Windsor,  being  embroidered. 

Adjutant  "Warner, 

Pay-Master  Ingraham  and 

Lieutenant  Holt, 
were  appointed  said  Committee. 

On  the  15th  June,  1826,  Pay-Master  Ingraham  was 
elected  Captain  of  the  Second  Company  in  place  of  Cap- 
tain Telfair  promoted  ;  and  William  P.  Millard  (from 
the  Eighth  Company)  First  Lieutenant. 

Captain  Alden  Partridge,  formerly  an  instructor  in 
military  tactics  at  West  Point,  having  established  a  pri- 
vate military  school  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  which 
was  in  very  successful  operation,  and  high  repute  in  the 
estimation  of  military  men,  the  officers  of  the  Twenty- 


56  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

seventh  Regiment,  at  the  meeting  on  the  12th  of  May, 
1826,  passed  resolutions  inviting  Captain  Partridge  to 
visit  the  City  with  the  cadets  of  his  command,  and  unite 
with  the  Regiment  in  the  parade  in  celebration  of  the 
Fourth  of  July,  which  was  expected  to  be  on  a  grander 
scale  than  usual,  it  being  the  Semi-Centennial  Anniver- 
sary of  the  great  Declaration. 

A  Committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  Captain 
Partridge.  They  communicated  the  complimentary  reso- 
lutions of  the  Board  of  Officers,  and  received  from  the 
Captain  an  acceptance,  on  the  part  of  himself  and  his 
pupils,  of  the  invitation,  which  they  received  as  very  flat- 
tering to  their  corps  and  institution. 

As  the  State  Standard  was  to  be  completed  so  as  to  be 
delivered  on  the  approaching  "Fourth,"  his  Excellency, 
De  Witt  Clinton,  was  asked  to  perform  the  ceremony  of 
the  delivery,  which  he  kindly  assented  to  ;  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  give  due  eclat  to  the  parade  and  cere- 
mony, not  only  by  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  but  by 
the  whole  military  forces  of  the  City. 

The  venerable  Major-General  Morton  was  more  than 
usually  impressive  in  his  "Division  Orders"  for  the  Ju- 
bilee Parade,  remarking  : 

To  celebrate  the  return  of  epochs  important  in  the  affairs  of  a 

nation  has  the  sanction  of  the  remotest  antiquity,  and  the  period  of  fifty 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  57 

years  has  a  high  solemnity  attached  to  it  from  the  ordinance  of  the  Deity 
himself.  No  era  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  has  heen  of  more  importance 
than  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  United  States — it  was  the 
dawn  of  freedom  to  mankind,  and  its  beams  are  now  illuminating  and 
enlightening  the  world.  Well  may  we  hail  this,  its  semi-centenary  anni 
versary,  with  joy  and  gratitude. 

When  those  intrepid  statesmen  subscribed  that  immortal  instrument 
which  asserted  our  rights  to  freedom  and  self  government,  little  did  they 
imagine  that  in  a  few  revolving  years  their  country  would  be  sun'ounded 
by  so  many  blessings,  and  would  take  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  the 
proud  station  it  now  occupies. 


The  following  are  the  Regimental  Orders  for  the  occa- 
sion : 

NATIONAL  GUARDS. 
TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT  N.  Y.  STATE  ARTILLERY. 
\  REGIMENTAL  ORDERS. 

New  York,  June  28th,  1826. 

The  preceding  General,  Division  and  Brigade  Orders  are  promulgated, 
and  in  pursuance  thereof  this  Regiment  will  parade  in  full  uniform,  on 
Tuesday,  the  Fourth  of  July  next,  in  celebration  of  the  Fiftieth  Anniver- 
sary of  American  Independence.  The  line  will  be  formed  in  the  Park,  at 
half  past  six  o'clock,  A.  M. 

An  invitation  from  the  officers  having  been  accepted  by  the  Corps  of 
Cadets  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Partridge,  to  join  the  Regiment  in 
the  approaching  celebration  of  the  National  Jubilee,  they  will  be  received 
from  the  steamboat  at  Fulton  Market  Wharf;  from  thence  the  Regiment 
will  proceed  to  Castle  Garden,  where  it  will  be  honored  by  receiving  from 
his  Excellency,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  a  Standard  bearing  the  Arms  of 
the  State, 

The  Quarter-Master  will  make  the  necessary  requisition  for  ammunition. 

By  order  of  Colonel  Wetmore, 

Andrew  Warner,  Adjutant. 


The  Regiment  was  accordingly  formed  on  the  morning 
of  the  Fourth,  at  six  o'clock,  and  marched  to  the  foot  of 
Fulton  street,   East  River,  and  two  companies    thrown 


58  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

forward  to  the  wharf,  to  salute  and  escort  the  ' '  Cadets  " 
to  the  regimental  line  ;  and  the  whole  then  moved  to 
Castle  Garden,  where  the  illustrious  De  Witt  Clinton,  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  in  the  full  uniform  of  Commander- 
in-Chief,  and  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  staff  of  eminent 
military  men  and  civilians,  was  in  attendance  for  the 
purpose  of  delivering  to  the  Regiment  the  State  Standard 
which  had  been  prepared  for  it. 

On  presenting  the  flag,  the  Governor  made  the  follow- 
ing remarks : 


The  soldier  of  a  free  State  has,  in  addition  to  the  chivah-ic  sentiment  of 
honor  so  ardently  cherished  by  military  men,  the  elevated  spirit  of  patri- 
otism  to  direct  his  career,  and  to  dignify  his  conduct ;  as  a  component  part 
of  a  nation  of  free  citizens,  his  own  fame  is  identified  with  the  glory  of  his 
country. 

Having  the  fullest  confidence  that  you  and  the  whole  Eegiment  under 
your  command,  feel  the  whole  force,  and  recognize  the  high  importance  of 
these  impressions,  and  honorable  considerations,  I  commit  this  Standard  to 
your  safe  keeping  and  protection,  with  no  ordinary  gratification,  and  with 
a  perfect  conviction  that  you  will  not  disgrace  it  yourselves,  nor  permit  it 
to  be  disgraced  by  others. 


Colonel  Wetmore  replied,  expressing  for  himself  and 
the  Regiment  their  deep  sense  of  the  distinguished  honor 
conferred  upon  them,  in  such  a  presence  and  from  such  a 
source ;  he  adverted  to  the  pledge  by  each  individual 
member  of  the  National  Guards,  in  subscribing  the  rolls 
which  bind  them  to  the  service,  for  the  faithful  perform- 
ance af  the  duties  imposed  by  the  laws  of  the  State,  and 
expressed  his  conviction  that  should  exigencies  require 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT.  59 

of  them  the  exercise  of  the  sterner  duties  of  the  soldier, 
they  would  be  found  among  the  first  to  dedicate  their 
weapons  at  the  shrine  of  patriotism  to  the  service  of  their 
country.  "And,"  he  continued  "on  the  ramparts  of  the 
"outer  walls,  or  '  i'  the  imminent  deadly  breach,'  this 
"  Banner,  bearing  on  its  folds  the  heraldic  insignia  of  the 
"State  of  New  York,  shall  proudly  wave  in  victory,  or 
"honorably  fall  with  its  supporters." 

The  ceremony  passed  off  with  great  eclat,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  assemblage  of  the  beauty,  and  fashion, 
and  elite  of  the  City. 

The  flag  is  of  blue  silk,  bearing  the  Colors  of  the  State 
of  New  York  on  a  shield,  supported,  as  on  the  Regi- 
mental Standard,  by  wreaths  of  laurel  and  oak,  and  with 
the  State  Crest,  and  the  Motto  "Excelsior." 

The  taste  and  skill  evinced  in  the  embroidery  of  both 
the  Standards  reflect  the  highest  credit  on  Mrs.  Windsor, 
wife  of  Lloyd  D,  Windsor,  the  veteran  principal  of  the 
old  "Public  School  No.  1,"  by  whom  they  were  exe- 
cuted. 

After  the  ceremonial  of  the  presentation,  the  Regiment, 
with  its  juvenile  guests,  took  position  in  the  brigade  line, 
for  participation  in  the  military  celebration  of  the  day. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  Cadet  visitors  were  entertained 


60 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


at  "Morse's  Hotel,"  Park  Row,  and  were  invited  to  a 
^'billet"  amongst  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Regiment 
during  their  stay  in  the  City. 

At  a  Meeting  of  the  Board  of  Officers,  July  10,  1826, 
the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  and 
ordered  to  be  published  : 

Resolved,  That  the  officers  of  this  Corps  have  witnessed  with  lively 
satisfaction  the  correct,  soldierlike,  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  and  the 
extraordinary  proficiency  in  military  exercises,  evinced  by  the  young  gen- 
tlemen composing  the  Corps,  of  Cadets  on  their  recent  visit  to  this  City 
upon  the  invitation  of  this  Regiment. 

Resolved,  That  the  officers  of  this  Regiment  have  derived  much  gratifi- 
cation from  their  intercourse  with  this  Corps  of  Cadets  whilst  quartered 
with  them  during  their  recent  visit. 


In  order  to  show  the  strength  of  the  different  regi- 
ments in  the  City,  at  that  day,  the  following  is  given : 


Abstract  of  the  Inspection  of  the  First  Brigade  N.   Y.  State  Artillery,  com- 
manded hy  Brigadier-  General  Manley,  held  October  18,  1826. 


Eegiraent. 

Commandants. 

NumVr  of 
Compa'es. 

Privates 
present. 

Total 
present. 

Grand 
total. 

Second, 

Twenty-seventh, 

Fourteenth, 

Ninth, 

Brigadier-General 

Col.  I.  A.  Moore, 
"    p.  M.  Wetmore, 
"    M.  Clarke, 
"    S.  I.  Hunt, 

and  Staff, 

8 

7* 

9 

8 

193 

189 
177 

178 

289 
277 
276 
272 
5 

472 
437 

529 
472 

7 

Total  force  o 

f  the  Brigade. 

32 

737 

1119 

1917 

*  One  Company  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Regh-neut  having  been  recently  recruited, 
and  not  nuifonned,  was  not  ordered  to  parade  for  inspection,  nor  inchided  in  the 
absentees  of  tlie  Regiment. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  gj 

On  the  7th  November,  1826,  Colonel  Wetmore,  on 
returning  to  the  City  after  a  short  absence,  and  resuming 
the  command  of  the  Regiment,  pays  a  marked  compli- 
ment to  Lieutenant- Colonel  Stevens,  "for  the  skillful  exer- 
"tions  and  indefatigable  attention  he  has  exhibited  while 
"in  charge  of  the  Regiment;"  and  adds:  "The  Com- 
"mandant  has  noticed  with  great  satisfaction,  in  the  offi- 
"  cers  of  the  Regiment  generally,  an  evident  progress  in 
"acquiring  the  elements  of  discipline  and  efficiency ;  and 
"while  such  a  laudable  spirit  exists,  as  is  at  this  time 
"prevalent  in  the  Corps,  the  surest  guarantee  is  afforded 
"of  ultimate  success  in  establishing  a  military  reputa- 
"tion." 


On  the  13th  of  November,  1826,  G-eneral  Manley  took 
the  First  Brigade  to  "the  Village  of  Brooklyn,"  as  he 
naively  terms  it  in  his  order  for  the  occasion,  (which,  by 
the  way,  was  proper  then,  strangely  as  it  may  look  now,) 
for  a  regular  "  Field  Bay,"  and  a  good  time  generally  in 
performing  "Evolutions  of  the  Line,"  by  the  four  regi- 
ments composing  his  command,  in  the  open  fields  near 
Red  Hook,  on  a  larger  scale  than  he  could  find  room  for 
in  the  confined  Hmits  of  the  City. 

There  seemed  to  have  been,  during  the  past  season,  a 
general  "revival"  of  military  spirit  in  the  Regiment, 
which  had  also  extended,  in  some  degree,  throughout  the 


52  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Brigade,  and  was  noticed  by  General  Manley,  in  Brigade 
Orders  of  30th  November,  as  follows  : 


The  Brigadier- General  avails  himself  of  the  present  occasion  to  express 
his  satisfaction  with  the  improvement  of  the  Brigade  during  the  past 
season.  The  conduct  of  the  troops,  more  especially  on  the  parades  of  13th 
and  25th  instant,  was  such  as  to  give  promise  of  perfection  in  military 
discipline  which  it  has  not  yet  attained ;  and  he  attributes  the  change  to 
that  spirit  of  generous  rivalry  which  has  in  an  especial  manner  been  cher- 
ished by  the  officers  of  a  part  of  his  command. 


As  the  season  for  parades  passed  on  to  a  close,  notwith- 
standing the  jubilant  feelings  generally  prevailing  through- 
out the  Regiment  at  the  high  praise  everywhere  accorded 
to  it,  and  the  bright  prospects  that  seemed  opening  before 
it,  a  gloom  could  be  seen  on  many  a  brow  when  certain 
business  matters  of  the  Colonel  were  alluded  to  ;  a  sad- 
ness was  felt  in  many  a  heart,  for  a  cloud  had  settled 
upon  and  was  obscuring  the  fair  fame,  the  personal  char- 
acter, of  their  hitherto  exceedingly  popular  and  almost 
idolized  Commander.  He  had  been  mixed  up  in  some 
financial  concerns,  and  speculating  operations  in  Wall 
street,  which  had  resulted  disastrously  to  his  interest,  and 
very  prejudicially  to  his  character. 

The  self-respect  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Regi- 
ment was  sorely  tried  ;  believing  that 

"  Bright  as  his  oivn  good  sivord,  a  soldier'' s  fame  should  be  I" 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  gg 

after  many  consultations,  they  generally  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  matter  was  too  serious  to  be  overlooked, 
and  that  it  was  incumbent  on  them  to  take  measures  to 
rescue  the  good  name  and  character  of  their  young  Regi- 
ment from  the  odium  which  might  attach  to  it  from  the 
personal  character  of  its  commanding  officer  ;  and  at  the 
request,  and,  in  fact,  requirement,  of  many  of  them, 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Stevens  consented  to  take  the  initiative, 
and  issued  the  following  notice  to  each  of  the  officers,  for 
an  informal  and  consulting  meeting  : 

Friday,  December  22,  1826. 
Sir: — You  are  requested  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  officers  of  the 
Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  at  Stoneall's,  this  evening,  at  seven  o'clock,  on 
business  of  importance. 

By  request  of  officers, 

L.  W.  Stevens,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

In  response  to  which  a  full  attendance  of  the  officers 
was  had,  and  the  matter  freely  discussed  and  "ventilated." 
The  general  conclusion  was  that  the  Colonel  must  **  some- 
"  how"  remove  the  stigma  which  was  resting  on  his  name, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officers,  or  retire,  at  once,  from  his 
position  in  the  Regiment.  A  considerable  proportion  of 
them  announced,  on  the  spot,  their  determination  to  not 
further  regard  him  as  their  superior  officer  ;  all  of  which 
was  put  in  shape  and  communicated  to  the  Colonel — 
rather  a  bitter  dose — and  the  sequel  was  more  so. 

The  officers  met  again  on  the  27th  December,  twenty- 


64  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  THE   SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

three  present,  and  the  Colonel  sent  to  them  a  communi- 
cation, in  reply  to  the  one  from  them,  which,  after  being 
read,  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  five ;  and  after  some 
little  maneuvering,  the  subject  went  over  to  another 
meeting,  on  the  4th  of  January,  1827,  when  the  whole 
thing  was  opened  up  for  discussion,  and  a  full  and  free 
interchange  of  views  and  feelings  was  had,  and  the  sub- 
ject again  put  over  to  a  meeting  on  the  11th  January,  at 
which  the  Colonel  appeared,  and  "read  certain  papers, 
"and  addressed  the  meeting,  and  retired."  A  vote  was 
then  taken  by  ballot,  and  without  debate,  on  the 
question,  "/s  the  defence  of  Colonel  Wetmore  satisfac- 
"  tory?^^  and  determined  in  the  negative,  by  sixteen  votes 
to  eight. 

The  "division"  would  appear  as  follows,  judging  from 
the  very  meager  recor<^i  in  the  Book  of  Minutes.  On  one 
side.  Captains  White,  Spicer,  Ingraham,  Lieutenant  Pride, 
and  three  of  the  staff,  viz. :  Adjutant  Warner,  Pay-Master 
Peat,  Doctor  Marcellin,  seven;  on  the  other  side,  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Stevens,  Major  Simons,  Captains  Williams,  Val- 
entine, Boyd,  Lieutenants  Phillips,  Millard,  Thompson, 
Philarey,  Holt,  Maison,  Wyckoff,  Beach,  Spelman,  Ireland, 
Whittemore,  and  Quarter-Master  Manning,  seventeen; 
one  appeared  to  act  with  the  majority  and  vote  with  the 
minority. 

Next  in  order,  of  course,  was  a  regular  "free  fight" 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  55 

(figuratively)  between  the  "high  contending  powers." 
The  "sixteen,"  on  the  one  hand,  were  determined  that  the 
obnoxious  Colonel  should  "be  no  more  officer  of  theirs," 
that  they  would  not  oley  any  order  emanating  from  him — 
certainly  a  bold  and  hazardous  conclusion ;  whilst  he,  on 
the  other  hand,  aided  in  some  measure  by  the  "eight," 
summoned  all  the  thunders  of  the  law,  and  all  the  strate- 
getical  tactics  he  was  master  of — and  they  were  not  insig- 
nificant— to  force  them  into  subjection.  It  was  a  throwing 
away  of  the  scabbard  with  both  sides — a  tournament  ' '  a 
^^VoutranceJ^ 

Frivolous  orders  were  at  once  issued  to  test  the  tenacity 
of  purpose — ^the  "pluck" — of  the  "recusants,"  which  of 
course  were  disregarded  ;  and,  en  suite,  the  arrest  of  several 
of  the  most  obnoxious  of  them  was  ordered  ;  and  the  half- 
dozen  who  were  so  selected  were  not  a  little  elated  at  the 
distinction.  But  the  higher  powers  seemed,  evidently, 
willing  that  the  contestant  parties  should  have  a  little 
scope  to  fight  the  battle,  for  a  while,  with  their  own 
respective  forces,  and  were  slow  to  mix  up  in  the  thing 
by  ordering  courts-martial.  Every  nerve  was  strained, 
and  no  stone  left  unturned  by  either  side,  to  further  their 
several  objects. 

The  "  sixteen"  appealed  to  the  rank  and  file,  and  a  gen- 
eral meeting  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates 
was  held  at  "  The  Shakspeare,"  at  which  resolutions  back- 


gg  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

ing  up  the  officers  were  passed  by  overwlielmmg  major- 
ities ;  and  I  find  on  the  minutes  of  one  of  the  companies, 
the  Captain  of  which  had  taken  sides  with  the  Colonel, 
and  the  two  Lieutenants  with  the  opposition,  the  follow- 
ing resolution,  January  17th,  1827 : 


Resolved,  That  this  Company  cordially  approves  of  the  correct  and  hon- 
orable stand  taken  by  the  Lieutenants  in  the  preservation  of  the  character 
of  the  Eegiment,  and  that  we  will  support  them  in  their  endeavors  to  the 
uttermost  of  our  power. 


And,  it  is  believed,  similar  resolutions  were  passed  by 
most,  if  not  all,  of  the  other  companies. 

In  the  meanwhile  "the  officers"  appealed  to  Governor 
Clinton  for  relief,  invoking  his  plenary  power,  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, to  revoke  the  commission,  and  summa- 
rily dismiss  any  obnoxious  officer,  and  the  following  order 
was  the  result;  which,  in  the  end,  proved  "  the  settler" — 
the  grand  pacificator : 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

GENERAL   OBDERS. 

Head-Quarters,  Albany,  January  20th,  1827. 
The  Commander-in-Chief  having  received  a  petition,  praying  the  re- 
moval of  Colonel  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Eegiment 
of  New  York  State  Artillery,  from  the  oflBce  of  Colonel  of  said  Regiment, 
********  hereby  organizes  a  Court 
of  Inquiry  for  the  purpose  of  examining  into  the  truth  of  the  facts  set  forth 
in  the  said  petition. 

The  Court  will  be  composed  of  the  following  persons,  to  wit : 
Major-General  Augustus  Fleming,  of  the  Third  Division  of  Infantry, 

President; 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  Qf 

Brigadier-General  Gilbert  S.  Mount,  Third  Brigade  of  Infantry, 
Brigadier-General  Henry  Arcularius,  First  Brigade  of  Heavy  Artillery, 

Members  ; 
Colonel  Samuel  Stevens,  Recorder  and  Judge-Advocate. 
The  Court  will  forthwith  proceed  to  the  said  investigation,  and  report  a 
statement  of  fe^ts,  together  with  their  opinion,  to  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
By  order  of  the  Commandek-in-Chief, 

N.  F.  Beck,  Adjutant- General. 


The  Court  proceeded  at  once  in  the  duties  enjoined  on 
it ;  the  sittings  were  held  at  "  The  Shakspeare,"  and  were 
continued  for  several  weeks ;  they  attracted  crowded 
audiences  of  military  men  j  able  counsel  contested  every 
inch  of  ground. 

Whilst  the  sessions  of  the  Court  were  being  held,  some 
of  the  officers  got  an  impression,  from  intimations  hinted 
to  them,  that  if  they  should  succeed  in  "throwing"  the 
Colonel,  they  were  not  likely  to  see  their  beautiful  Colors 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Regiment  again,  they  being  in  his 
keeping ;  they  at  once  comprehended  the  danger,  and 
appointed  a  Committee  to,  if  possible,  withdraw  them 
from  his  custody — a  measure  that  required  all  the  strat- 
egy and  skill  they  were  masters  of  The  thing  was 
eventually  accomplished  in  the  following  manner :  The 
Colonel  of  one  of  the  other  City  Regiments,  that  was 
about  to  procure  new  colors,  was  making  enquiries  of  one 
of  our  officers  about  the  cost  and  manufacture  of  ours ;  he 
was  advised  (by  one  of  the  above  Committee)  to  borrow 
them  for  examination ;  and  being  shortly  afterward  seen 
in  conversation  with  our  Colonel — this  was  in  the  room 


gg  EECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

at  the  session  of  the  Court — and  the  words  "six  o'clock" 
being  heard  to  pass  between  them,  it  was  inferred  that 
the  other  Colonel  was  to  call  at  that  hour  for  the  Colors. 
The  Committee,  which  was  decidedly  a  "Vigilance  Com- 
mittee," was  at  once  on  the  "  quivive"  and  took  position 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Colonel's  quarters  at  the  hour 
named,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  other 
Colonel  enter,  and  in  a  short  time  emerge,  bearing  the 
Colors ;  he  proceeded  some  distance  toward  his  own* 
quarters,  when  he  was  accosted  by  the  Committee,  as  if 
accidentally  encountered.  After  the  salutations  of  "  Good 
"evening,"  &c.,  one  of  them  asked,  referring  to  the 
Colors,  what  he  had  there.  "The  Colors  of  your  Regi- 
"ment,  which  the  Colonel  has  been  so  kind  as  to  lend 
"me,"  was  the  reply,  "^e  lend  you  the  Colors  of  the 
"Regiment!"  exclaimed  they  ;  "why,  Aehas  no  authority 
"to  lend  out  the  Colors  ;  they  belong  to  the  Board  of 
"Officers,  to. whom  you  should  have  applied  for  the  loan 
"of  them,  and  who  would,  doubtless,  have  been  glad  to 
"  oblige  you."  "  We,"  remarked  one,  "  are  a  Committee, 
"appointed  by  the  Board  of  Officers  to  take  possession 
"of  all  the  property  of  the  Regiment,  wherever  it  may 
"  be  found,  and  will  now,  here,  relieve  you  of  the  Colors  ;" 
and,  that  "the  firstlings  of  his  head  should  be  the  first- 
"  lings  of  his  hand,"  he  suited  the  action  to  the  word, 
seized  the  Colors,  and  by  ^'prompt  maneuver^^  transferred 
them  from  the  Colonel's  shoulder  to  his  own,  much  to 
the  amazement  and  confusion  of  the  former ;  who,  how- 


EECOLLEOTIONS  OF  THE„  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT  gg 

ever,  was  satisfactorily  assured  that  they  had  good  reasons 
for  their  action,  and  that  he  would  be  held  blameless  in 
the  matter.  The  Colors  were  borne  off  in  triumph,  and 
placed  securely  beyond  the  contingencies  of  any  demon- 
stration of  the  adverse  party. 


When  the  Order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  for  the 
Court  of  Inquiry  had  been  received,  the  Colonel  abated 
his  wrath,  and  held  his  breath  for  a  season,  and  announced 
in  * '  Orders"  a  general  amnesty  * '  until  after  the  decision 
"  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry  is  made  known ;"  which,  in  the 
event,  proved  to  be  a  long  day!  if  he  meant  "made 
"  known"  to  any  but  him ! 

THE  COURT  having  closed  its  sessions,  and  it  being 
understood  that  their  "Report,"  giving  their  ^^ statement 
^^  of  facts,  together  with  their  opinion,^''  in  the  premises,  as 
required  by  the  Governor,  had  gone  forward  to  Head- 
Quarters,  "the  Colonel,"  not  waiting  for  the  action  of 
the  Governor  on  the  "Report,"  or  "until  after  the 
"decision  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry  is  made  known" 
announced  in  Orders  of  6th  April,  that  he  had  "for- 
"  warded  to  his  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief  ^Ae 
* '  resignation  of  his  commission  //" 


Now, 


"  Last  scene  of  all, 
"  That  ends  this  *  *  eventful  history." 


70  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT. 

General  Manley,  in  Brigade  Orders  of  April  9th,  1827, 
announces : 


The   Commander-in-CMef  having,  on  the  5th  instant,  [the  day  before, 
mind  you,  the  Colonel's  announcement  of  the  tender  of  his  resignation !] 

ACCEPTED  THE    RESIGNATION  OF  CoLONEL  PrOSPEB   M.  "WeTMORE,   of  the 

Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  &c.,  &c. 

[Exit] 


%*  Thus  terminated  the  most  trying  and  perilous  ordeal  the  Regiment 
has  ever  passed  through,  and  which  seemed  at  one  time  to  threaten  its 
annihilation ;  but,  by  the  indefatigable  exertions  of  its  members  and  friends, 
it  rose  superior  to  every  trial,  and  now  stands  forth  confessedly,  in  this 
community,  beyond  all  its  compeers,  the  most  reliable  arm  of  the  City 
authority. 

The  decision  of  the  question,  "  "What  has  the  private  character  of  a  mili- 
tary man  to  do  with  his  official  position?"  was  forced  upon  the  Regiment 
under  circumstances  of  the  most  painful  natui'e.  Strong  personal  popu- 
larity— important  services  rendered  in  the  organization  of  the  Regiment, 
were  required  to  be  placed  in  one  scale ;  in  the  other,  the  obligation  of  the 
citizen  soldier  to  maintain  that  character  which  alone  could  do  him  honor 
in  either  capacity.  The  struggle,  though  severe,  was  met  with  the  spirit 
which  alone  became  the  emergency;  and  the  result  distinctly  enunciated 
the  great  principle,  which  obviously  formed  the  basis  of  the  present  exalted 
position  of  the  Corps — ^that  to  military  qualifications  viust  be  superadded 
purity  of  private  reputation.,  to  constitute  the  true  element  of  the  character 
of  the  Citizen  Soldier. —  Col.  L.  W.  Stevens,  1852. 


IV. 


Elections  were  at  once  held  to  fill  up  the  "Field"  of 
the  Regiment. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Stevens  was  elected  Colonel ; 

Major  Simons,  Lieutenant-Colonel ;  and 

Captain  John  H.  Williams,  of  the  Sixth  Company, 
Major  ;  but  he  declining, 

Pay-Master  John  I.  Manning  was  elected  Major. 

Captain  Williams  shortly  afterward  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  retired  from  the  service,  with  the  highest 
and  most  gratifying  commendations  of  his  old  associates 
of  all  ranks. 

The  Board  of  Officers,  on  2d  May,  1827,  passed  a 
resolution  adopting  cross-belts,  in  addition  to  the  waist- 
belt  previously  worn. 


Those  officers  who  had  adhered  to  the  late  Colonel, 

were   not,   of   course,   well   affected   to   the   Regiment 
11 


Y2  EEOOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  EEaiMENT. 

under  the  new  regime,  and  the  most  of  them  withdrew 
quietly. 

Captain  Chandler  White  retired  20th  April,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Lieutenant  Philetus  H.  Holt,  as  Captain 
of  the  Fourth  Company ;  a  position  which  he  filled  for 
several  years  with  great  eclat  and  distinction — advancing 
the  character  and  drill  of  his  company  to  the  most  ele- 
vated standard  then  known  in  the  City  or  Country. 

Announced  in  Regimental  Orders,  May  29,  1827,  the 
following  officers  commissioned  in  the  Regiment,  viz. : 
Philetus  H.  Holt,  Captain  4th  Company ; 
William  Thompson,  Captain  6th  Company ; 
Thomas  J.  Ireland,  First  Lieutenant  4th  Company ; 
Benjamin  B.  Beach,  First  Lieutenant  6th  Company ; 
Nathaniel  Tylee,  Second  Lieutenant  6th  Company. 

Captain  Andrew  Warner,  of  the  nominal  Eighth  Com- 
pany, (but,  in  fact,  it  was  a  ''myth''^  from  the  beginning, 
having  never  had  men  enough  to  legally  constitute  a 
company,)  continued  contumacious,  and  endeavored  to 
prolong  the  hostility  to  the  new  head  of  the  Regiment ; 
which  resulted  in  his  summary  arrest  and  trial  by  Court- 
Martial,  ihQ finale  of  which  is  thus  given: 

BRIGADE  ORDERS. 

New  York,  July  10,  182Y. 
The  proceedings  of  the  Brigade  Court-Martial,  for  the  trial  of  Captain 
Andrew  Warner,  have  been  reported  to  the  Brigadier-General. 


RECOLLECTION'S  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  73 

The  charges  preferred  against  Captain  "Warner  were,  disobedience  of 
orders,  neglect  of  duty,  and  unofiBcer-like  conduct. 

The  Court,  after  hearing  the  evidence  in  support  of  the  charges,  and 

testimony  in  defense,  have  sentenced  Captain  Warner  to  be  cashiered, 

and  to  pay  the  costs  of  the  prosecution. 

The  Brigadier-General  approves  the  sentence  of  the  Court. 
********* 

By  order  of 

Robert  F.  Manley,  Brigadier-Genei*al. 

J.  D.  Everson, 

Brigade-Major  and  Inspector. 

"So  much  for  Buckingham  I" 


Pay-Master  Peat  resigned  May  3d, 
Surgeon  Marcellin  and 
Lieutenant  Pride  resigned  June  9th, 
Captain  Ingraham  and 
Captain  Spicer  resigned  June  20th. 

Regimental  Orders,  of  August  6th,  announce  the  ap- 
pointment of 

William  P.  Millard,  Adjutant ; 
Robert  J.  Delevan,  Pay-Master  ; 
William  C.  Hickok,  Surgeon, 
and  commissions  of 

James  D.  Oakley,  Second  Lieutenant  4th  Company ; 
Bailey  J.  Hathaway,  First  Lieutenant  5th  Company. 

Regimental  Orders,  September  7,  1827,  give  as  com- 
missioned : 

William  Halsey,  Quarter-Master ; 
Denis  Philarey,  Captain  7th  Company; 

10 


74  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Ezra  F.  Raymond,  Captain  2d  Company ; 
Jacob  Y.  D.  Wyckoff,  First  Lieutenant  7th  Company ; 
Smith  Spellman,  First  Lieutenant  1st  Company  ; 
Austin  Melvin,  Second  Lieutenant  3d  Company  ; 
Myer  Myers,  Second  Lieutenant  7th  Company  ; 
John  Waydell,  Second  Lieutenant  1st  Company. 

Captain  Valentine  retired  September  10th. 

October  9,  1827,  Regimental  Orders  announce  as  com- 
missioned : 

James  D.  Phillips,  Captain  3d  Company ; 
Jacob  Y.  D.  Wyckoff,  Captain  7th  Company  ; 
Austin  Melvin,  First  Lieutenant  3d  Company  ; 
Richard  Ellison,  First  Lieutenant  2d  Company  ; 
Samuel  P.  Wenman,  First  Lieutenant  7th  Company ; 
William  Fardon,  Second  Lieutenant  3d  Company ; 
John  E.  Earlb,  Second  Lieutenant  5th  Company. 

October  10,  1827,  Major-General  Benedict,  in  announc- 
ing, in  Division  Orders,  the  death  of  Colonel  John  D. 
Wilson,  his  Division  Inspector,  remarks  : 


No  language  is  necessary  to  awaken  m  the  members  of  the  Corps  the 
deepest  feelings  of  regret  for  his  loss,  or  of  sympathy  with  his  friends  for 
their  sudden  bereavement.  The  recollection  of  the  many  manly  qualities 
which  adorned  his  character,  is  engraven  on  the  memory  of  every  one  who 
has  been  associated  with  him  in  any  of  the  connections  of  society.  To 
those  who  have  participated  with  him  in  the  discharge  of  military  duties, 
will  often  recur  the  remembrance  of  his  talents,  his  courtesy,  and  his 
exalted  sense  of  honor. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


75 


Abstract  of  the  Inspection  of  the  First  Brigade  New  York  State  Artillery, 
commanded  hy  Brigadier- General  Robert  F.  Manley,  held  October  \2th, 
1827. 


Regiment 

Commandants. 

Numb'r  of 
Compa'es. 

Matrosses 
present. 

Total 
present. 

Grand 
total. 

Second, 

Ninth, 

Fourteenth, 

Twenty-seventh, 

Brigadier-General 

Col.  James  A.  Moore, 
"    Samuel  J.  Hunt, 
"    Wm.  E.  Ross, 
"    L.  W.  Stevens, 

and  Staff; 

8 

8 

11 

7 

156 
179 
221 
185 

234 
289 
332 
276 
5 

453 
447 
607 
437 

7 

Total  force  o 

f  the  Brigade, 

34 

741 

1136 

1951 

J,  D.  EvERSON,  Brigade-Inspector. 

The  organization  purporting  to  be  the  Eighth  Company, 
late  commanded  by  Captain  Warner,  "  not  having  fulfilled 
"the  requirements  of  the  law,"  was  disbanded  by  the 
Brigadier-General,  November  5th,  1827. 


Colonel  Stevens,  in  Regimental  Orders,  November 
17,  1827,  "announces  to  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
"Regiment  the  death  of  its  late  Pay-Master,  Robert  J. 
"  Delevan.  In  performing  this  melancholy  duty,  respect 
"for  the  virtues  of  the  deceased,  combining  all  that  is 
"estimable  in  the  character  of  the  citizen  and  soldier, 
"  demands  a  passing  tribute  to  his  memory. 

"His  short  association  with  the  Regiment  was  marked 
"by  that  promptness  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  that  cor- 
"rect  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  which  at  once  consti- 
"tuted  him  the  valuable  officer,  the  highly  valued  friend 
"  and  associate.  The  remembrance  of  his  virtues  will 
"long  be  cherished  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  being 


76  KEOOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT. 

"associated  with  him  in  discharging  their  duty  to  the 
''State,  and  in  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  R-egi- 
**  ment." 

Evacuation  Day,  1827,  is  thus  noticed  by  Major-Gen- 
eral  Benedict: 

SECOND  DIVISION  N.  T.  STATE  ARTILLERY. 

New  York,  November  20,  1827. 

Upon  the  recurrence  of  a  day  rendered  conspicuous  in  the  Revolutionary 
annals  of  our  country  by  the  interesting  associations  connected  with  the 
successful  termination  of  a  contest  unequaled  in  the  history  of  modern 
times  for  the  fortitude  and  perseverance  displayed  in  its  prosecution,  under 
circumstances  most  appallingly  adverse,  and  the  objects  of  which  were  the 
establishment  of  those  principles  which  ennoble  and  dignify  human  nature, 
the  Major-General  feels  confident  that  he  will  but  echo  the  sentiments 
of  those  under  his  command,  in  expressing  his  desire  that  the  occasion 
shall  not  be  suffered  to  pass  without  such  testimonials  as  will  be  likely  to 
impress  its  importance  upon  the  memory  of  the  rising  generation. 

In  pursuance  of  the  object,  the  Major-General  directs  that  the  troops  of 
the  Division  in  the  City  and  vicinity  appear  under  arms,  on  Monday,  the 
26th  inst,  in  commemoration  of  the  evacuation  of  the  City  by  the  British 
troops  in  1783. 

********* 

By  order  of  Major-General  Benedict, 

S.  D.  Jackson,  Acting  Inspector  Second  Division. 

The  Regiment  accordingly  paraded,  making  a  beautiful 
appearance,  on  the  26th.  Line  was  formed  in  the  Park 
at  11  A.  M.  The  whole  military  display  on  the  occasion 
was  unusually  imposing. 

The  Board  of  Officers  voted  to  loan  the  Colors  of  the 
Regiment  to  decorate  the  grand  banqueting  room  of  the 
new  Masonic  Hall,  on  Broadway,  opposite  the  Hospital, 
for  the  Jackson  Festival,  on  the  eighth  of  January,  1828, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  77 

in  celebration  of  the  election  of  the  old  hero  to  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States. 

Immediately  upon  the  disbandraent  of  the  "bogus" 
Eighth  Company,  energetic  measures  were  adopted  to 
supply  its  place.  Several  of  the  strongest  companies  de- 
tached a  portion  of  their  men  to  aid  in  putting  the  thing 
through  at  once  ;  and  their  efforts  were  so  effective  that 
the  organization  of  the  new  Company  by  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  was  promulgated  in  General  Orders,  January 
19th,  1828. 

John  H.  Brower,  Captain  ; 
ScHUREMAN  Halsted,  First  Lieutenant  j 
Alfred  H.  Clark,  Second  Lieutenant. 

And  for  the  character  of  the  members,  and  the  ability 
and  energy  of  the  officers  of  the  new  organization,  let 
the  career  and  history  of  the  "Eighth  National  Guard," 
from  that  day  to  the  present,  attest. 

Announced  in  Regimental  Orders,  April  1st,  1828,  as 
commissioned  in  the  Regiment: 

M.  K.  S.  Lee,  Second  Lieutenant  2d  Company  j 
James  D.  Oakley,  Quarter-Master  ; 
George  S.  Schermerhorn,  Pay -Master. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Simons  resigned  April  14th,  1828, 
when  Major  John  I.  Manning  was  elected  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  Captain  Robert  B.  Boyd,  Major. 


78  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Brigade  Orders,  May  12th,  1828,  directed : 

At  full-dress  parades,  officers  will  wear  crape  on  the  left  arm  and  on  the 
sword  hilt,  as  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  our  late  Commandek- 
iN-CuiEF  [De  "Witt  Clinton]. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July,  of  this  year,  the  Regiment  was 
honored  with  the  accession  to  its  ranks,  for  that  day's 
celebration,  of  the  Company  of  Philadelphia  Grays, 
commanded  by  Captain  Miles.  They  arrived  in  the  City 
on  the  second,  and  Captain  Holt,  with  his  Fourth  Com- 
pany, was  "charged  with  the  duty  of  receiving  and 
"escorting  them  to  their  quarters;"  where  they  were 
met  by  the  officers  of  the  Regiment,  and  several  other 
officers  of  distinction,  and  partook  of  an  elegant  im- 
promptu entertainment,  the  officers  of  the  Twenty-sev- 
enth standing  hosts. 

The  "Grays"  paraded  on  the  Fourth  with  the  Regi- 
ment ;  and,  the  next  day,  gave  an  exhibition  of  their 
drill,  and  proficiency,  generally,  in  military  exercises,  in 
the  Park,  and  were  reviewed  by  the  Mayor — the  Fourth 
Company  volunteering  a  sergeant  and  twenty  men  for  a 
guard,  and  for  sentinel  duty,  for  the  occasion.  They 
elicited  great  praise  from  a  large  collection  of  military 
men  and  civilians.  They  returned  to  their  homes,  de- 
lighted in  the  highest  degree  with  their  excursion  to 
this  City,  and  the  civilities  and  attentions  extended  to 
them. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^9 

RETIREMENT  OF  COLONEL  STEVENS. 
REGIMENTAL  ORDERS. 

New  York,  July  9th,  1828. 

The  Commandant,  being  about  to  retire  from  the  service  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged  for  the  last  eleven  years,  feels  it  but  a"n  act  of  justice 
to  express  to  the  officers  of  the  Regiment  the  great  satisfaction  he  has  at 
all  times  experienced  from  the  zealous  and  efficient  coSperation  in  every 
department  connected  with  the  duties  of  his  station. 

It  affords  him  the  highest  pleasure,  in  retiring  from  the  command,  to 
have  it  in  his  power  to  congratulate  the  officers,  and,  through  them,  the 
members  of  the  Regiment  generally,  upon  the  present  flourishing  situation 
of  the  Corps,  and  the  high  state  of  discipline  which,  as  the  result  of  their 
united  efforts,  it  has  attained.  And  he  confidently  cherishes  the  hope  that 
the  spirit  of  generous  emulation  which  now  prevails  will  long  continue, 
and  that  the  unanimity  and  good  feeling  which  has  so  long  existed,  and 
which  is  of  such  vital  importance  to  the  well-being  of  any  association,  will 
long  form  their  distinguishing  characteristic. 

In  reviewing  the  period  that  it  has  been  his  honor  to  command  the  Regi- 
ment, the  Commandant  is  sensible  of  the  weight  of  obligation  under  which 
he  has  been  placed  to  his  associate  officers,  for  the  pleasure  which  their 
cordial  support — their  promptness  and  alacrity  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties — ^has  imparted  to  the  station  which  he  has  held. 

It  affords  him  much  pleasure  to  felicitate  them  on  the  present  state  of 
the  financial  concerns  of  the  Regiment ;  and  it  is  a  source  of  much  grati- 
fication to  him,  that,  during  his  command,  no  extraordinary  measure  for 
the  obtaining  of  funds  has  been  resorted  to ;  but  that  the  receipts  have 
always  met  the  current  expenses  of  the  Corps ;  and  it  is  a  circumstance 
creditable  to  the  Regiment,  that  no  loss  of  consequence,  either  from  de- 
falcation or  neglect,  has  occurred  to  the  funds  during  that  period. 

In  taking  leave  of  the  Regiment,  the  Commandant  tenders  to  the  officers 
individually,  and  the  members  of  the  Regiment  generally,  an  affectionate 
farewell;  with  the  assurance  that  the  recollection  of  the  period  he  has 
been  associated  with  them  will  always  hold  the  foremost  seat  in  his  remem- 
brance. 

By  order  of  L.  "W.  Stevens,  Colonel. 

"W.  P.  Millard,  Adjutant. 


Colonel  Stevens  received  the  most  flattering  evidences 
of  the  high  estimation  in  which  his  character  and  services 
were  held  by  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Regiment. 


80  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Lieutenant- Colonel  Manning  was  elected  Colonel ;  and 
Captain  Levi  Hart,  of  the  First  Company,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel. 

Colonel  Manning  having  become  badly  entangled  in 
controversies  with  some  of  the  most  active  and  influential 
officers  of  his  command,  retired  in  September^  without  ever 
having  paraded  as  Colonel  of  the  Regiment ;  and  was 
succeeded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hart,  as  Colonel ;  L.  W. 
Stevens,  the  late  Colonel,  having  first  been  unanimously 
re-elected  Colonel,  on  1st  October,  but  declined. 


V. 


Nothing  of   especial  interest  during  the   year    1829, 
except  the  "episode"  related  in  the  following  pages: 


AN"  EPISODE  IN  THE   HISTORY  OF  1829. 

Major-General  Jacob  Morton  was  the  Commandant 
of  the  Division  of  Artillery,  in  the  City  of  New  York  ; 
a  position  which  he  had  held  ''since  when  the  memory 
"of  man  runneth  not  to  the  contrary;"  at  least  so  it 
seemed  to  us  youngsters,  and  stiU  more  strikingly  so  to 
those  who  were  "waiting  for  his  shoes,"  treading  on  his 
heels  in  the  line  of  promotion ;  with  them  was,  it  is  said, 
the  standing  toast : 

"  Eternal  rewards  for  Ms  everlasting  services.*' 

The  old  General  was  personally  highly  respectable,  well 

bred,  and  in  every  sense  of  the  word  an  "  old-school  gen- 

"tleman."     The  usual  extent  of  his  labors  was  but  little 

more  than  to  write  beautiful  and  patriotic  orders  for  the 

11 


32  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Fourth  of  July  and  Evacuation  Day  parades,  and  to 
review  and  command  the  troops  out  on  those  occasions. 
His  custom,  more  common  in  that  olden  time  than  now, 
of  being  invariably  an  hour  or  two,  and  sometimes  more, 
behind  the  time  at  which  he  had  ordered  a  review,  whilst 
the  troops  were  wearied  by  standing  under  arms  awaiting 
his  coming,  had  tended  to  somewhat  blunt,  and  in  a  meas- 
ure undermine,  the  feelings  of  respect  and  veneration  to 
which  his  personal  character,  his  years,  and  his  position 
entitled  him. 

He  was  diminutive  in  stature,  and  had  shriveled  and 
pinched-up  features ;  yet  he,  notwithstanding,  made  a 
striking  appearance  on  parade,  in  his  uniform  of  blue  and 
buff,  the  Revolutionary  style  : 

"  And  still  his  powdered  hair  behind, 
"  Was  clubbed  so  neat  and  clever," 

all  in  the  fashion  of  the  olden  time  ;  and  when  on  parade, 

"A  war-like  cocked-hat  frowned  upon  it." 

He  always  displayed  on  his  breast  the  venerated  badge 
of  the  "Society  of  Cincinnati"  pendent  from  the  blue 
ribbon  of  the  order.  He  was  often  spoken  of  in  pleas- 
antry or  derision  with  the  sobriquet,  "The  little  Grod  of 
"War,"  or  "Old  Cockey  Morton,"  according  to  the  taste 
or  temper  prevailing  at  the  moment.  Some  uneasy  spirits, 
with  more  ambition  to  do  something  than  brains  to  do 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  33 

anything  worthy  of  respect,  had  wormed  themselves  into 
*  positions  on  the  old  General's  staflf,  and,  by  their  mussing 
and  meddling  with  the  concerns  of  the  Division,  had  got 
the  commandants  of  regiments  by  the  ears  ;  and  a  general 
feeUng  of  dissatisfaction  had  gradually  spread  through  his 
command,  which  on  the  Fourth  of  July  of  this  year  came 
near  breaking  up  the  parade  entirely.  Some  disputes 
about  rank  and  precedence  led  to  the  ordering  under 
arrest  of  some  of  the  Colonels ;  and  this  produced  new 
contentions  about  position,  and  precedence  of  the  other 
regiments,  and  the  rank  of  the  remaining  Colonels  ;  and 
these  again  led  to  fresh  arrests,  and  then  to  the  reinstating 
of  some  of  those  previously  arrested ;  which  still  further 
increased  the  confusion,  and  altogether  complicated  mat- 
ters far  beyond  the  abilities  of  the  quiet  old  General,  or 
his  Ught-headed  attachis,  to  manage  or  unravel.  The  regi- 
ments were  meanwhile  under  arms,  and  kept  standing  on 
the  Battery  during  nearly  the  whole  day  ;  several  showers 
of  rain  in  the  time  producing  great  irritation  and  dissat- 
isfaction among  the  men.  The  officers  of  our  Regiment, 
being  more  gamey  than  the  others,  sent  up  several  remon- 
strances to  the  bigwigs  against' the  imposition  and  annoy- 
ance of  the  delay ;  and  finally,  at  near  night,  the  weather 
settling  down  with  the  appearance  of  a  steady,  heavy 
rain,  they  concluded  that  endurance  had  gone  as  far  as 
was  creditable  ;  and,  by  what  seemed  to  be  understood 
throughout  the  Regiment  rather  by  the  intuition  of  the  men 
than  any  direct  intimation  from  them,  they  suffered  the 


g4  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

ranks  to  "break" — the  men,  with  loud  cheers,  retiring  to 
seek  shelter  from  the  impending  storm  of  rain,  and  not 
again  returning  to  the  field  of  stormy  dispute  and  conten- 
tion. It  was  with  difiiculty  that  the  other  regiments 
were  kept  by  their  officers  from  following  our  example — 
the  men  cheering  us,  and  desiring  to  imitate  our  spunk. 

The  afiair  produced  quite  an  excitement  in  the  military 
circles  of  the  City,  and  the  General  and  his  staff  denounced 
all  sorts  of  vengeance  against  us  ;  he  ordered  a  Court  of 
Inquiry  to  examine  into  the  affair,  and  to  report  the 
"facts,"  with  their  "opinion"  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
field  officers  of  the  Regiment,  in  command ;  but  as  no 
one  who  knew  anything  about  it  could  testify  without 
admitting  that  he  was  on  parade  at  the  time,  and,  of 
course,  thereby  implicating  himself  in  all  the  pains  and 
penalties  of  the  General's  fiery  wrath,  and  the  violated 
law,  the  Court,  it  was  understood,  was  unable  to  obtain 
the  least  particle  of  evidence  touching  the  conduct  of  any 
individuals,  let  alone  that  of  the  field  officers,  on  whose 
"trail"  they  were  especially  sent;  (in  fact,  the  field  offi- 
cers were  entirely  ignorant  of  the  movement  until  its 
occurrence  astounded  them  as  much  as  it  did  the  General ;) 
and,  after  beating  about  the  bush  in  every  direction  in 
vain,  they  made  their  Report,  contenting  themselves  with 
letting  off  the  field  very  easy,  and  opening  their  batteries 
in  a  tirade  against  "  the  line  officers  and  privates  ;"  which 
the  General  reproduced  and  enlarged  upon  with  the  terms 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  35 

of  "  disgrace"  and  "  dishonor,"  in  his  Order  promulgating 
the  finding  of  his  Court  of  Inquiry,  and  at  the  same  time 
avowing  his  determination  to  have  every  individual  par- 
ticipating in  the  affair  duly,  and  dreadfully,  punished. 

However  jolly  we  might  have  felt  over  the  affair  at 
first,  we  soon  began  to  realize  the  fact  that  we  were  all 
in  a  bad  scrape,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
must  be  no  hesitation  or  backing  down,  the  only  chance 
for  our  escape  being  to  "bully  it  through;"  we  had 
proved  the  caliber  and  heard  the  ring  of  the  metal 
arrayed  against  us,  and  determined  to  stand  up  and  brave 
it.  Some  of  the  active,  ruling  spirits  in  the  ranks — the 
materiel  on  which  the  subsequent  prosperity  and  renown  of 
the  Regiment  was  based — put  their  heads  together,  and, 
after  surveying  their  position  and  the  field  before  them 
in  all  their  aspects,  determined  to  make  a  dashing  demon- 
stration, to  be  either  aggressive  or  in  defense,  as  might 
at  the  time  promise  the  best  effects,  and,  with  that  view, 
called  a  general  meeting  of  the  rank  and  file,  the  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates  of  the  Regiment,  to  * 
consider  the  matter.  The  meeting  was  held  at  "  The  Shak- 
"speare,"  the  old  stamping-ground  of  the  Regiment,  and 
after  several  stirring  speeches  by  the  members,  in  which 
the  old  General  and  his  staff,  and  his  ^^  Division  Order" 
were  pretty  thoroughly  "ventilated,"  the  following  pro- 
ceedings were  had,  here  reproduced  from  a  newspaper  of 
the  time  : 


36  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT. 

TWENTY-SEVENTH  REaiMENT  N.  Y.  S.  ARTILLERY, 

NATIONAL  GUARD. 

A  Meeting  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  of  the  Regi- 
ment was  held  at  The  Shakspeare,  on  Tuesday  Evening,  6th  October, 

1829. 

Sergeant  Allen  M.  Sniffen, 

of  the  5th  Company,  was  appointed  Chairman  ;  and 

Sergeant  Asher  Taylor, 

of  the  4th  Company,  was  appointed  Secretary, 

The  object  of  the  meeting  having  been  stated  to  be  the  consideration 
of  the  Division  Orders  of  25th  ult.,  published  in  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  ; 
a  committee  of  three  was  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  expressing  the 
sense  and  feeling  of  the  meeting.  The  committee  retired  during  the  de- 
livery of  several  addresses,  and  upon  their  return  presented  the  following 
resolutions,  which  were  passed  unanimously : 

Wliereas,  The  publication  in  the  newspapers  of  a  Division  Order,  of 
25th  ult.,  promulgating  the  Report  of  a  Court  of  Inquiry  which  had  been 
instituted  to  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  field  officers  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Regiment,  with  regard  to  the  affair  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  which 
said  report,  in  relating  the  ^'■facts'''  of  the  case,  explicitly  and  unqualifiedly 
exonerates  the  field  officers  from  a  participation  in  the  affair  alluded  to ;  and 

Whereas,  The  said  Court  of  Inquiry,  in  the  expression  of  their  "  opin- 
'■^ion"  have  thought  proper  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  line  officers  and 
privates,  pronouncing  them  guilty  of  "disgraceful  conduct,"  &c.,  &c. ;  and 

Whereas,  G-eneral  Morton,  in  promulgating  the  Report,  repeats  the 
assertion  of  "  disgrace"  and  "  guilt"  on  the  part  of  the  line  officers  and  pri- 
vates, thereby  tending  to  prejudge  the  case  of  those  whom  he  at  the  same 
time  orders  to  be  tried ;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  we  deem  it  a  duty  to  our  officers,  to  ourselves,  and  to 
the  character  of  our  Corps,  to  express  our  indignation  at  the  course  pur- 
sued by  General  Morton,  and  those  about  him,  endeavoring  to  disparage  us 
in  the  estimation  of  our  fellow-citizens. 

Resolved,  That  the  imputation  of  "disgrace"  in  the  transaction  of  the 
4th  July,  we  hurl  with  contempt  to  those  who  had  the  command  of  the 
military  celebration  of  the  day. 

Resolved,  That  we  appreciate  as  highly  as  General  Morton,  or  those 
about  him,  can  do,  the  importance  of  subordination  in  every  rank  of  a  mil- 
itary establishment ;  that,  under  this  feeling,  we  have  endured  the  imposi- 
tions and  oppressions  of  General  Morton  on  every  occasion  that  we  have 
paraded  under  his  command,  when  the  repeated  remonstrances  of  our  offi- 
cers have  been  disregarded ;  that  on  the  occasion  in  question,  we  consider 
that  the  disagreeable  duty  imposed  on  the  Division  of  Artillery  was  a  gross 
outrage  upon  every  principle  of  honor  and  respect  that  sustains  all  asso- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  g^ 

ciations  of  citizen  soldiers ;  that  througli  the  imbecility  of  General  Morton, 
and  those  about  him,  nearly  the  whole  day  was  consumed  in  ordering,  and 
counter-ordering,  and  rescinding  orders  when  half  executed,  and  in  arrang- 
ing and  compromising  difficulties  thus  created,  while  the  Division  was  kept 
standing  until  near  night,  under  circumstances  peculiarly  vexatious ;  that 
we  then  thought,  and  we  now  think,  that  there  is  a  point,  even  in  military 
subordination,  beyond  which  endurance  would  justly  entitle  men  to  the 
imputation  of  '^ shame"  and  '^disgrace." 

Resolved,  That,  in  reviewing  the  order  of  General  Morton  setting  forth 
the  Keport  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry,  we  consider  that  the  course  pursued 
by  that  Court  is  entirely  unwarranted  by  the  authority  under  which  they 
acted,  and  evinced  but  little  knowledge  of  the  military  law,  or  they  would  ^ 
have  known  that  neither  General  Morton,  nor  those  about  him,  possess  the 
power  to  order  a  direct  inquiry  into  the  case  of  any  below  the  rank  of 
field  officer ;  and  we  consider  that,  as  the  said  Court  could  not  have  had 
any  testimony  before  them  showing  the  conduct  of  the  line  oflScers  and 
privates,  their  "  opinion  in  the  premises  was  entirely  volunteered  and  gratu- 
itous, and  we  esteem  it  accordingly ;  and  we  deem  it  but  barely  an  act  of 
justice  to  our  cause  to  state  to  the  public,  that  the  members  of  the  Court 
of  Inquiry,  besides  the  President,  General  Hopkins,  were  Alexander  Ming, 
Jr.,  and  A.  M.  C.  Smith. 

Resolved,  That  the  peculiarity  of  the  publication  in  the  newspapers  of 
the  Division  Orders  of  25th  ult,  and  that,  too,  before  a  copy  had  been 
furnished  to  the  parties  concerned,  is  unprecedented ;  and  that  the  evident 
desire  of  General  Morton,  and  those  about  him,  to  create  a  prejudice  and 
excitement  in  the  public  mind  against  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  pre- 
vious to  and  during  an  investigation  of  its  condact,  reflects  the  highest 
DISGRACE  on  them  as  officers,  as  citizens,  and  as  men  of  honor. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  signed  by  the  Chair- 
man and  Secretary,  and  published  in  three  of  the  daily  papers. 

The  meeting  and  the  resolutions  settled  the  business ; 
they  raised  a  general  laugh  at,  and  completely  turned  the 
tables  against,  the  old  General,  ^^ and  those  ahout  him," 
who,  like  Uncle  Toby's  Corps  in  Flanders,  "swore  ter- 
"  ribly,"  and  threatened  direful  things ;  but,  being  unable 
to  make  any  headway  against  the  general  ridicule  wliich  ' 
our  resolutions  had  caused,  they  settled  down  to  the  con- 
clusion that  "the  better  part  of  valor  was  discretion," 


38  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

and  let  the  matter  drop  ;  the  excitement  gradually  sub- 
sided, and  the  affair,  superseded  by  some  new  wonder, 
was  shortly  entirely  forgotten. 

The  worthy  old  General,  after  a  while,  shook  off  some 
of  his  uneasy  followers,  and  sunk  back  into  his  former 
quiet  ways,  and  dozed  out  the  remainder  of  his  command 
in,  doubtless,  happy  dreams  of  anticipation  of  the  three 
volleys  which,  a  few  years  later,  we  (being  detailed  the 
firing  party  for  the  occasion)  delivered  over  his  grave. 

The  high  estimation  in  which  his  personal  character 
was  always  held,  and  the  recollection  of  his  manifold  gen- 
tlemanly qualities,  predominating  over  all  other  feelings, 
moistened  many  an  eye — mine,  I  well  remember,  fairly 
ran  over,  at  the  tap  of  Reidel's  drum,  as  he  improvised  a 
half-audible  funereal  roll  to  the  remains  of  our  venerable 
Commander,  as  they  were  borne,  in  the  twilight  of  a  mild 
autumnal  evening,  between  our  opened  ranks,  to  their 
last  resting-place,  in  the  Second  street  Cemetery,  where, 
we  trust, 

"After  life's  fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well." 
Requiescat  en  pace. 


VI. 


Since  the  retirement  of  Colonel  Stevens,  the  affairs  of 
the  Regiment  had,  in  a  great  measure,  been  at  a  stand- 
still ;  there  had  been  no  election  for  Lieutenant- Colonel ; 
and  the  line  officers  began  to  be  restive  under  the  supine- 
ness  and  inactivity  that  seemingly  had  settled  down  upon 
them,  and  cast  about  for  new. measures  and  new  men  to 
reinvigorate  the  spirit  that  had  formerly  pervaded  their 
ranks. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1830,  Colonel  Hart  and 
Major  Boyd  both  resigned,  leaving  the  Regiment  under 
command  of  Captain  Holt,  who  persistently  declined 
advancement — ^urgently  pressed  upon  him  by  the  Board 
of  Officers. 


The  officers  now  set  to  work  in  earnest  to  reestablish 
the  affairs  of  the  Regiment  on  a  more  favorable  basis  ; 
and  to  that  end  they  recalled,  by  an  election,  on  the  25th 
of  January,  1830,  Colonel  LINUS  W.  STEVENS  to  the 

12 


90  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REOIMENT. 

command ;  who  consented  to  serve  only  on  condition 
"  that  the  subordinate  positions  in  the  field  should  be 
"filled  by  efficient  and  approved  men;"  and  after  much 
planning,  and  negotiating,  and  arranging,  during  the 
spring  and  summer,  all  those  matters  were  determined 
satisfactorily  all  around  ;  and  the  Regiment  set  out  with 
fresh  vigor  on  a  new  career  of  improvement  and  distinc- 
tion. 

It  appears  by  Regimental  Orders  of  July  2,  1830,  that 
the  following  officers  had  been  commissioned  by  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief : 

Thomas  Postley,  Captain  6th  Company ; 

William  Jones,  Captain  3d  Company ; 

William  T.  Beach,  Captain  5th  Company ; 

William  B.  Hall,  Pay-Master  ; 

Isaac  H.  Sniffen,  Quarter-Master  ; 

Samuel  D.  Dbnison,  First  Lieutenant  8th  Company  j 

William  B.  Hatch,  First  Lieutenant  3d  Company ; 

Hervey  Merritt,  First  Lieutenant  6th  Company  ; 

Thomas  W.  Mather,  Second  Lieutenant  8th  Company ; 

Robert  Heckle,  Second  Lieutenant  1st  Company ; 

Thomas  P.  Burger,  Second  Lieutenant  6th  Company. 


THE  REGMMENT  was  detailed  to  perform  the  military 
funeral  honors  at  the  interment  of  Major  James  Fairlie^ 
on  the  12th  of  October,  1830. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


91 


Major  Fairlie  had  been  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the 
Army  of  the  Revolution ;  and  as  a  citizen  was  much 
esteemed  for  the  high  intellectual,  social,  and  patriotic 
qualities  which  distinguished  his  character  in  an  eminent 
degree. 

The  duty  was  performed  in  a  manner  to  elicit  from  the 
Major-Q-eneral  the  following  graceful  compliment : 


DIVISION  ORDERS. 

New  York,  October  13th,  1830. 
The  Major-General  begs  to  express  to  Colonel  Stevens,  Commandant 
of  the  National  Guards,  his  great  satisfaction  at  their  prompt  compliance 
with  orders,  and  with  the  very  soldierly  manner  in  which  the  Regiment 
yesterday  performed  the  obsequies  at  the  interment  of  Major  Fairlie. 

Though  in  the  performance  of  such  duties  there  is  not  a  character  of 
high  military  achievement,  still  there  is,  in  the  expression  of  respectful 
remembrance  to  departed  worth,  a  sentiment  awakened  that  accords  with 
the  best  and  finest  feelings  of  our  nature. 

By  order  of  Major-  General  Morton. 

S.  D.  Jackson,  Division  Inspector. 


Abstract  of  the  Inspection  of  the  First  Brigade  New  York  State  Artillery, 
commanded  by  Brigadier-  General  Robert  F.  Manley,  held  October,  1830. 


Regiment. 

C!ominandant8. 

NumVr  of 
Compa'es. 

Matrosses 
present. 

Total 
present. 

Present 
&  Absent, 

Ninth, 

Second, 

Fourteenth, 

Twenty-seventh, 

Brigadier-General 

Col.  James  LefFerts, 
"    Isaac  H.  Reed, 
»    Jotham  W.  Post, 
'*    L.  W.  Stevens, 

and  Staff, 

8 
8 
7 
8 

150 
119 
140 
259 

246 
209 
206 
360 
5 

412 
372 
324 

472 
5 

Total  force  o 

f  the  Brigade, 

31 

668 

1026 

1585 

J.  D.  FiVERSON,  Brigade-Inspector. 


92  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

In  May,  1831,  knapsacks  were  adopted  as  a  part  of  the 
equipment  of  the  Regiment. 


In  the  month  of  June,  1831,  the  "Boston  City 
"  Guards"  visited  the  City  as  the  guests  of  the  Regiment. 
They  were  received  and  escorted,  on  their  arrival  and 
departure,  by  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  Companies,  Cap- 
tains WyckofF  and  Brower,  who  received  the  thanks  of 
the  Commandant  of  the  Regiment  for  the  handsome  and 
spirited  manner  in  which  the  duty  was  performed. 


FIEST  CAMP  OF  EXERCISE. 

The  subject  of  incorporating  into  the  course  of  the 
instruction  and  exercises  of  the  Regiment  the ,  practical 
duties  of  the  camp,  had  for  some  time  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  the  officers ;  but  the  want  of  proper  appliances 
and  facilities  for  carrying  out  the  project,  had  prevented 
the  undertaking  until  the  spring  of  1831  ;  when  (on  18th 
May)  a  Committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  the  field 
and  eight  line  officers  (one  from  each  company),  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  a  brief  experimental  tour 
of  camp  duty  at  Poughkeepsie,  on  the  first  days  of  July. 
The  first  step  was  to  obtain  the  permission  of  the  Brig- 
adier and  Major  Generals  for  the  Regiment  to  be  absent 
from  the  City  on  the  Fourth  of  July  ;  this,  on  application, 
was  readily  granted.     The  State  authorities  conceded  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  93 

use  of  such  camp  equipage  and  other  ^^ materiel"  as  were 
needed ;  and  when  the  preUminary  arrangements  were 
found  to  be  in  a  state  of  forwardness,  the  following  order, 
initiating  the  affair,  was  issued : 


TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT  N.  T.  S.  ARTILLERT. 

BEaiMENTAL    ORDERS. 

New  York,  June  6,  1831. 

In  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  majority  of  the  Regiment  to  per- 
form a  tour  of  camp  duty,  and  the  necessary  arrangements  having  been 
effected,  the  Regiment  will  accordingly  assemble,  in  complete  uniform, 
armed  and  equipped,  including  knapsacks,  on  the  2d  of  July.  Regimental 
line  will  be  formed  in  the  Park  at  6  A,  M. 

The  Commander-in-Chief  having  instructed  the  Commissary-General  to 
furnish  the  necessary  camp  equipage,  the  Quarter-Master  is  directed  to 
attend  at  the  Arsenal  to  receive  and  receipt  for  the  same,  and  to  make 
requisition  for  ammunition  for  two  brass  six-pounders,  say  thirty-five 
rounds,  and  also  for  five  thousand  rounds  of  blank  musket  cartridges. 

It  is  recommended  to  each  man  to  provide  himself  with  a  sack  to  con- 
tain straw  for  bedding,  and,  in  addition,  with  a  blanket,  a  cloak,  and  such 
other  necessaries  as  may  be  conducive  to  health  and  comfort,  on  the 
recommendation  of  their  respective  commandants. 

The  place  of  encampment  is  at  Poughkeepsie,  in  view  of  the  Hudson 
River. 

The  CommandantSntertains  the  hope  that  more  is  to  be  acquired  in  one 

tour  of  camp  duty  than  in  a  full  season  in  the  usual  manner  of  performing 

the  duty. 

********* 

Sergeant  Tuttle,  of  the  5th,  is  appointed  Color- Sergeant;    Sergeant 
Cummings,  of  the  6th,  and  Sergeant  "Williams,  of  the  8th,  Color-Bearers. 
The  following-named  gentlemen  receive  appointments  for  the  Pough- 
keepsie excursion : 

Mr.  Philetus  H.  Holt,  late  Captain  of  the  4th,  Secretary ; 
"    B.  B.  Beach,  late  Captain  of  the  6th,  Assistant  Pay-Master ; 
"    Asher  Taylor,  late  Orderly  of  the  4th,  Assistant  Quarter-Master, 

Unanimity,  or  L'Esprit  du  Corps. 
A  spirit  of  good-will  among  the  members  of  the  Regiment  is  essential 
to  the  good  that  may  result  from  the  excursion.     The  general  deportment 
of  officers  towards  their  men  should  be  strictly  regarded.     "  If  this  be  cold 


94  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REGIMENT. 

*'  or  harsh  on  the  one  hand,  or  grossly  familiar  on  the  other,  the  harmony 
"and  discipline  of  the  Corps  cannot  be  obtained."  The  examples  are 
numerous  and  brilliant  in  which  the  most  conciliatory  manners  have  been 
found  perfectly  compatible  with  the  exercise  of  the  strictest  command. 
The  prompt  arrest  of  the  disobedient  may  be  expected. 
By  order  of  L.  W.  Stevens, 

Colonel  Commandant  Twenty-seventh  Regiment, 
"W.  P.  Millard,  Adjutant, 


As  it  could  not,|)e  expected  that  the  officers  and  men 
would  be  found  aufait  in  all  the  details  of  the  duties  per- 
tinent to  such  an  undertaking,  on  this  first  attempt,  and 
in  order  to  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  any  confusion  or 
incongruity  in  their  performance,  the  following  Standing 
Order  for  the  encampment  was  prepared  and  distributed 
in  advance : 


NATIONAL   GUARDS. 
STANDING    ORDERS. 

The  attention  of  all  is  directed  to  the  following  orders,  whereby  the  encamp- 
ment will  be  governed : 

New  York,  July  2,  1831. 
Assembly,  Inspection,  and  Parade  of^uards. 

The  guard  will  be  turned  off  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  as  the  tour 
of  duty  of  the  Regiment  is  short,  they  will  be  relieved  twice  in  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  so  that  all  may  have  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  duty ;  they 
will  therefore  be  turned  off  again  at  the  close  of  the  evening  parade. 

Ten  minutes  before  the  time,  a  bugle  signal  will  be  made  for  the  details 
to  turn  out ;  when  the  men  from  each  company  will  be  inspected  by  the 
First  Sergeant,  under  the  inspection  of  an  officer  of  the  company.  Five 
minutes  after  the  first,  a  second  signal  will  be  sounded,  when  the  First  Ser- 
geants will  conduct  their  details  to  the  regimental  parade,  and  each  detach- 
ment, forming  successively  on  the  left  of  that  which  preceded  it,  will  be 
posted  in  open  order,  at  shoulder  arms,  and  fixed  bayonets.  The  Adjutant 
will  receive  their  detachments  and  dismiss  the  First  Sergeants.  When  all 
are  present,  the  Officer  of  the  Ouard  takes  post,  with  sword  drawn,  six 
paces  in  front  of  the  center,  the  Sergeant  and  Corporal  four  paces  in  front 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  95 

of  the  right  and  left.  The  Adjutant  having  told  off  the  guard,  drawn  up 
at  open  order,  will  command :  "  Officer  of  the  Guard,  'bout  face — inspect 
your  guard,  march;"  when  the  Sergeant  and  Corporal  will  take  post  on  the 
right  and  left  of  the  front  rank.  The  Oommandant  of  the  Guard  will  inspect 
arms ;  this  ended,  he  will  take  his  station  on  the  right  of  his  command ; 
his  Sergeant  now  in  the  rear  rank,  covering  him,  still  at  open  order.  The 
Adjutant  will  now  command:  "The  troop — ^beat  ofiF;"  the  music  passes 
down  to  the  left  and  back,  resuming  its  station  on  the  right.  At  the  com- 
mand, "beat  off,"  the  new  Officer  of  the  Day  will  take  his  position  in  front 
of  the  parade,  having  the  old  officer  on  his  right,  one  pace  retired.  The 
Adjutant  will  command:  "Attention — shoulder  arms — rear  rank  close 
"  order,  march — ^present  arms ;"  at  which  he  will  face  to  the  new  Offi,cer  of 
the  Day,  drop  his  sword,  and  report :  "  Sir,  the  guard  is  ready  to  receive 
"your  orders."  The  Officer  of  the  Day,  having  brought  them  to  a 
"shoulder,"  and  ordered  such  further  exercises  as  he  chooses,  directs  the 
Adjutant  to  march  off  the  guard ;  whereupon  the  guard  is  wheeled  into 
platoons,  marches  past  and  salutes  the  Offiicer  of  the  Day,  the  Officer  of  the 
Guard  marching  in  front  of  the  first  platoon,  the  Adjutant  on  its  left  flank. 
The  column  having  passed  the  Adjutant,  he  breaks  off;  the  old  Officer  of 
the  Day  salutes  the  new,  and  gives  him  the  standing  instructions,  while 
the  guard  marches  to  the  guard-house. 

Service  of  Guards  and  Sentinels. 

On  the  approach  of  the  new  guard,  the  old  will  turn  out  under  arms, 
and,  as  the  new  guard  marches  past,  will  'present  arms  to  it;  the  new  guard 
will  carry  arms,  and  the  offi^rs  salute.  The  new  guard  is  then  filed  into 
Une,  a  few  paces  distant  from,  on  the  right  of,  and  dressing  on,  the  old 
guard.  Both  guards  then  standing  at  "  shoulder  arms,"  the  officers  will  face 
to  each  other,  salute  by  dropping  their  swords,  approach,  and  the  old  offi^r 
will  communicate  to  the  new  one  his  instructions ;  the  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  two  guards  will,  in  like  manner,  approach  each  other,  the 
Sergeants  two  and  the  Corporals  one  pace  in  front  of  the  line,  with  arms  ^ 
advanced,  the  new  taking  their  instructions  from  the  old ;  this  done,  the 
officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  will  resume  their  stations.  The  first 
relief  having  been  designated,  the  Commander  of  the  Guard  will  order  it 
"two  paces  to  the  front,"  when  the  new  relief  Sergeant  takes  charge  of  it 
and  goes  to  relieve  the  sentinels,  accompanied  by  the  old  relief  Sergeant, 
who  takes  charge  of  the  old  sentinels  as  they  are  relieved. 

A  relief  is  formed  in  two  ranks,  and  marches  with  arms  supported,  and 
by  a  flank ;  the  Sergeant  marching  by  the  side  of  the  leading  front-rank 
man.  When  a  sentinel  sees  a  relief  approach,  he  will  face  to  it,  halt,  and 
carry  arms ;  at  six  paces,  the  Sergeant  of  the  relief  commands :  "  Carry 
"  arms — halt ;"  and  adds,  "  number  one,"  (or  whatever  the  number  may  be, 


gg  RECOLLECTIONS  OE  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

that  of  the  two  sentinels,  old  and  new,  being  the  same,)  "arms  port;"  at 
this  command,  the  two  sentinels  approach,  when  the  old,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Sergeant,  will  whisper  the  instructions  of  the  post  to  the  new  sentinel ; 
this  done,  the  old  sentinel,  still  at  "  arms  port,"  will  pass  quietly  to  his 
place  in  rear  of  the  relief,  the  new  sentinel  facing  to  it,  when  the  Sergeant 
commands  for  both:  "Shoulder  arms,"  and  then  to  the  reliefs  "Support 
"arms — ^forward,  march."  The  files  are  numbered,  one,  two,  three,  four 
and  so  on,  from  front  to  rear,  so  that  number  one,  the  first  fi-ont-rank  man, 
being  posted,  number  two,  who  was  his  rear-rank  man,  steps  to  the  front, 
in  the  vacant  place  of  number  one ;  so  that  number  one  of  the  old  relief 
falls  in  in  the  front  rank  of  the  new  relief,  number  two  in  the  rear  rank. 

Sentinels  forming  the  chain  about  the  camp  will  not  permit  any  but  offi- 
cers to  pass  out  without  permission.  Sentinels  will  be  relieved  every 
hour. 

From  the  period  when  the  countersign  is  given  out  until  broad  daylight, 
sentinels  wUl  challenge  all  who  approach  their  posts,  and  never  suffer  any- 
one, until  the  countersign  be  given,  to  come  within  reach  of  his  bayonet ; 
placing  himself  for  that  purpose  in  the  position  of  "  arms  port."  The  chal- 
lenge is,  "Who  comes  there?" — if  answered,  "Friend,"  he  says,  "Ad- 
"vance  with  the  countersign;" — if  the  challenge  be  answered  "Grand 
"rounds,"  or  "Relief,"  the  sentinel  will  say,  "Advance,  Sergeant,  and 
"give  the  countersign;" — if  this  be  right,  he  passes  the  "rounds,"  if  not, 
and  when  a  wrong  countersign  or  none  is  given,  the  sentinel  calls  the 
guard. 

Grand  rounds  are  made  after  midnight,  by  the  Commander  of  the  Post, 
or  by  the  Officer  of  the  Day.  In  order  to  do  this,  he  will  repair  to  the 
main  guard,  give  the  parole  to  the  officer  commanding  it,  who  turns  out  his 
guard  at  "shoulder  arms,"  which  is  inspected,  if  thought  proper,  by  the 
Officer  of  the  Rounds ;  he  then  demands  an  escort  of  a  Sergeant  and  two 
men,  and  visits  the  sentinels,  who  receive  the  rounds  as  above  stated. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Officer  of  the  Rounds  to  examine  the  sentinels  as 
to  their  instructions,  and  to  ascertain  whether  they  are  acquainted  with 
their  duty. 

Compliments  by  Sentinels. 

A  Sentinel  will  carry  arms  to  all  officers,  in  or  out  of  uniform,  as  often 
as  they  may  pass  in  front  of  his  post ;  he  will  present  arms  to  the  Officer 
of  the  Day,  and  to  any  officer  wearing  two  epaulettes  and  a  sword ;  the 
latter  compliment  will  be  paid  to  any  armed  body  of  men  passing  near  a 
sentinel.  In  order  to  pay  the  salute,  the  sentinel,  when  approached,  will 
face  his  proper  front,  support  arms,  and  from  tliat  position  carry  or  present, 
as  the  case  may  be,  to  the  officer  passing.  No  compliment  is  paid  between 
sunset  and  sunrise. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SETENTH  REGIMENT.  Q^ 

Duties  of  the  Officer  of  the  Day. 
This  officer  will  be  named  in  Orders,  morning  and  evening.  His  duty- 
is  to  watch  over  the  police  of  the  Regiment^  and  to  receive  all  persons 
entering,  or  desiring  to  enter,  the  camp.  The  Officer  of  the  Guard  is 
responsible  to  him  for  the  proper  execution  of  the  duties  of  the  guard,  &c., 
as  he  is  responsible  for  the  whole  order  of  the  encampment.  They  will 
both  appear  always  in  full  uniform. 

Eegulatigns  of  the  Camp,  Roll-Calls,  &c. 

At  daybreak  a  call  will  be  made  by  the  drum  of  the  guard  for  th  emusic 
to  repair  to  the  parade ;  ten  minutes  after,  the  whole  will  commence  the 
*^  Reveille,"  when  all  the  officers  and  men  will  rise.  The  First  Sergeants, 
under  the  inspection  of  their  officers,  will  call  the  rolls  of  their  companies, 
formed  in  front  of  their  tents ;  this  done,  and  the  companies  dismissed,  the 
chiefs  of  squads  will  cause  the  men  to  put  their  tents  in  order,  and  from 
each  company  a  party  will  be  detailed,  under  the  conduct  of  the  First  Ser- 
geant, to  procure  water,  &c.,  for  their  companies. 

At  seven  o'clock,  the  drum  of  the  guard  will  sound  "Peow  on  the  trencher" 
when  the  Regiment  will  Ireakfast ;  at  eight,  the  guards  are  detailed ;  at 
half-past  eight,  the  long  roll  is. beat,  when  each  company  will  assemble  on 
its  own  ground,  and  be  marched  to  the  parade,  when  the  line  is  formed  and 
Orders  are  read ;  each  Captain  then,  by  direction  of  the  Commander  of 
the  Parade,  returning  to  his  company,  and  marching  it  off,  instructs  it  in 
company  drill  until  12  o'clock  (if  not  by  special  order  otherwise  directed) ; 
they  are  then  dismissed. 

At  one  o'clock,  the  drum  of  the  guard  sounds  ^'^  Roast  Beef"  the  signal 
for  dinner.  At  ten  minutes  before  three  o'clock,  or  such  time  as  the  Com- 
mandant shall  specially  direct,  the  guard  drum  beats  the  ^^  drummer's  call" 
and  the  music  will  assemble  on  the  parade,  and  the  ^^long  roll"  will  be 
beat,  when  the  companies  will  be  marched  into  line  (the  band  playing) 
preparatory  to  battalion  drill. 

The  drums  beat  for  evening  parade  one  hour  before  sunset ;  a  signal  will 
be  sounded  for  the  music,  which  will  assemble  on  the  parade ;  each  com- 
pany will  assemble  at  the  same  time,  on  its  own  ground,  and  be  inspected 
by  its  officers ;  ten  minutes  after  the  first  signal,  a  second  will  be  sounded, 
and  the  call  will  be  given  by  the  whole  music,  when  the  companies,  with 
fixed  bayonets,  will  be  marched  into  line  by  the  First  Sergeants,  and  posted 
in  open  ranks ;  company  officers  will  form  in  the  rank  of  file  closing,  with 
swords  sheathed ;  the  line  being  completed  the  Adjutant  will  take  post  on 
the  right,  and  by  signal  the  ''Adjutant's  call"  will  be  beat;  on  which  the 
field  officers  will  move  from  the  right,  one  pace  in  advance  of  the  line,  and 
halt  opposite  their  respective  stations.  As  soon  as  the  field  officers  are  thus 
situated,  all  the  officers  will  advance,  the  Commandant  sixteen  paces  in 

13 


9g  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

front  of  the  center,  the  Lieutenavt- Colonel  and  Major  eight  paces  in  front 
of  the  right  and  left  wings,  and  company  officers  six  paces  in  front  of  their 
companies,  all  facing  to  the  line,  with  arms  folded ;  the  staff  officers  will 
take  post  on  the  right  of  the  company  oflBcers ;  non-commissioned  staff  on 
the  right  of  the  front  rank;  the  whole  will  remain  immovable  on  their 
posts.  The  Adjutant  will  then,  from  the  right,  command:  "Battalion — ■ 
"  order  arms,"  and  to  the  music,  "  heat  off,''  at  which  will  commence  *'  I'he 
^^ retreat"  marching  from  the  right  to  the  left,  and  thence  to  the  right,  con- 
cluding with  "a  roll"  (at  which  officers  drop  their  hands,)  and  two  distinct 
"taps"  on  the  bass  drum,  at  the  first  of  which  the  officers  (with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Commandant)  will  prepare,  and  at  the  second  will  face  to  the 
front.  The  Adjutant  will  then,  from  the  front  of  the  center,  command: 
"Attention,  Battalion — shoulder  arms;"  at  ^^ shoulder"  the  officers  will 
prepare,  and  at  "arms"  will  draw  swords;  he  will  then  command:  "Pre- 
"sent  arms;"  and  then  face  about,  salute  the  Commandant  of  the  Parade^ 
and  report,  "Sir,  the  parade  is  formed."  The  Adjutant,  then  puts  up  his 
sword,  and  takes  his  station  one  pace  to  the  right  and  rear  of  the  Com 
mandant.  The  Commandant,  after  acknowledging  the  salute  of  the  line, 
will  draw  sword  and  order  such  exercises  as  he  may  judge  proper ;  on  an 
intimation  from  him  the  Adjutant  will  draw  sword,  advance,  halt  at  a  proper 
distance,  and  order:  "First  Sergeants  to  the  front — march;"  at  the  first 
words,  they  will  "advance  arms,"  at  the  last,  march  four  paces  to  the 
front,  and  halt;  the  Adjutant  then  adds,  "Call  rolls;"  thereupon  the  Cap- 
tains and  First  Sergeants  fall  to  their  companies,  and  the  Sergeants  call  the 
rolls,  and  immediately  resume  their  front  without  an  order.  The  Adjutant 
orders:  "First  Sergeants,  inward  face — center,  march — front,  report;" 
each  Sergeant,  commencing  on  the  right-,  recovers  his  musket,  or  brings  his 
sword  to  the  first  motion  of  present,  and  reports  distinctly,  "One  (or  more) 
"absent,"  or,  "None  absent,"  as  the  case  may  be;  each,  after  reporting, 
will  advance  arms;  when  the  Adjutant  will  order:  "First  Sergeants,  out- 
"ward  face — posts — march;"  the  Sergeants  march  on  a  straight  line,  until 
they  arrive  opposite  their  intervals,  when  they  face,  resume  their  posts, 
and  order  arms.  The  Adjutant  faces  the  Commandant,  salutes,  and  reports 
the  result  of  the  roll-calls ;  and  then,  on  an  intimation  from  the  Commandant, 
faces  the  line,  and  commands:  "Attention  to  Orders,"  puts  up  his  sword, 
and  reads  the  Orders ;  this  done,  he  again  draws  his  sword,  faces  to  and 
salutes  the  Commandant,  and,  on  an  intimation  from  him,  turns  again  to  the 
line,  and  announces,  "  The  parade  is  dismissed."  Thereupon  the  officers 
put  up  their  swords ;  the  First  Sergeants  will  bring  their  companies  to  a 
shoulder,  close  ranks,  and  march  them  off  to  their  respective  parades. 

The  Adjutant  will  place  himself  in  the  center  of  the  line  of  officers^ 
who  will  face  inward  and  close  upon  him;  the  senior  Captain  orders: 
^^  Front— forward,  march,"   and   when    within    six   paces   of  the   Com- 


rff- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SETENTH  REGIMENT.  99 

mandant,  they  will  half  face  to  the  right,  salute  bj  touching  the  cap,  and 
disperse. 

The  Reveille,  Retreat,  and  Tattoo  are  announced  by  the  field  music,  and 
must  be  strictly  attended  to.  The  hour  for  Reveille  is  fixed  at  five  o'clock, 
and  Tattoo  at  ten  o'clock ;  after  tattoo,  the  lights  are  to  be  extinguished  in 
the  camp,  and  profound  silence  is  to  be  observed;  all  strangers,  unless 
having  special  permission,  will  be  excluded  from  the  camp  before  the  coun- 
tersign is  given  out;  this  is  done  at  dark. 

Military  Compliments,  or  Honors  by  Individuals. 

"  Courtesy  among  military  men  is  indispensable  to  discipline.  The  good 
"  and  the  brave  oflScer,  or  soldier,  is  always  respectful  toward  his  supe- 
"  riors ;  he  feels  that  in  honoring  them  he  does  honor  to  himself  and  to  the 
"service.  This  respect  will  not  be  confined  simply  to  martial  obedience, 
*'  but  may  be  extended  to  other  occasions.  It  is  always  the  duty  of  the 
"junior  to  address,  or  offer  first  the  customary  salutation,  and  of  the  sen- 
"ior  to  return  such  complimentary  notice." 

The  salutation  will  be  made  by  touching  the  cap  or  hat  with  the  right 
hand,  without  inclination  of  the  head  or  body.* 

[Let  it  be  understood  that  the  foregoing  regulations  were  adopted  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  and  usage  at  that  time ;  there  are  many  alter- 
ations and  modifications  introduced  since,  in  the  service.] 


The  Narrative  of  the  Encampment  will  be  made  up 
mainly  of  the  "Reports"  made  at  the  time,  enough  of 
which  will  be  given  to  convey  a  general  idea  of  the  rou- 
tine and  performance  of  the  duties,  and  the  details  of  the 
affair. 

The  Steamboat  Congress  had  been  taken  up  by  the 
Committee  for  a  transport.  The  band  of  the  United 
States  post  at  Governor's  Island  was  engaged,   which, 


♦  It  wa3  subsequently  defined  that  officers  should  "  touch "  with  the  back  of  the 
hand  outward,  and  privates  with  the  palm  outward.  The  regulation  was  strictly 
observed,  in  and  out  of  camp. 


100  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

with  the  martial  corps  of  the  Regiment,  furnished  the 
music.  A  camp  ground  was  hired  of  General  Brush,  of 
Poughkeepsie ;  and  arrangements  made  with  Mr.  Swift, 
of  the  "Forbes  House,"  for  subsistence. 

REPORT  OF  THE  QUARTER-MASTER  OF  JULY  1. 

The  following  materiel  has  been  prepared  at  the  State  Arsenal  for  the 
excursion  to  Poughkeepsie,  viz. : 

78  Infantry  Tents,  18  Wall  Tents, 

1  Marquee  and  Poles,  80  sets  Poles  for  Infantry  Tents, 
20  sets  Poles  for  WaU  Tents,          1750  Tent  Pins, 

27  Camp  Kettles,  110  Mallets, 

2  Brass  Six-pounder  Field-pieces,  each  with  double  harness, 
5000  rounds  Blank  Musket  Cartridges, 

40      do.     Six-pound  Cannon  Cartridges, 

12     do.     Six-pound  Shot,  2  yards  Slow  Match, 

4  Sticks  Port-fire,  2  Haversacks, 

1  Tumbrel,  with  single  harness, 

3  Baggage  Wagons,  with  double  Harness, 

1  Tarpaulin. 

The  above  articles  belong  to  the  State,  with  the  exception  of  the 
marquee,  which  has  been  obtained  from  another  source ;  it  is  of  the  largest 
slass  of  officers'  marquees,  and  is  a  trophy  of  the  late  war,  having  been 
captured  from  the  enemy. 

We  are  indebted  to  Colonel  Sanford  and  Captain  Nash,  of  the  Third 
Eegiment,  for  the  loan  of  the  field-pieces.  They  are  both  interesting  tro- 
phies of  the  War  of  the  Revolution — one  was  captured  at  Saratoga,  the 
other  at  Princeton,  and  bear  inscriptions  to  that  effect. 

The  ammunition  is  securely  packed  in  the  tumbrel,  and  the  camp  equi- 
page in  the  baggage  wagons. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  with  Captain  Paul  to  have  teams  at  the 
Arsenal  early  on  the  morning  of  the  2d,  to  convey  them  to  the  transport, 
which  is  stationed  at  the  foot  of  Liberty  street  to  receive  the  Regiment. 

The  ammunition,  for  which  the  powder  was  furnished  by  the  Regiment, 
has  been  prepared  at  the  Arsenal. 

Everything  in  the  Quarter-Master's  department  is  in  readiness  for  em- 
barkation. 

New  York,  July  1,  1831. 

Sniffen,  Quarter-Master. 
To  L.  W.  Stevens,  Esq., 

Colonel  Commandant  Twenty-seventh  Regiment. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  JQX 

The  Regiment  paraded  in  the  Park,  on  Saturday,  July 
2d,  and  marched  direct  to  the  transport  at  the  foot  of 
Liberty  street,  whither  it  had  been  preceded  by  the  train, 
protected  by  a  guard,  under  charge  of  Quarter- Master 
Sergeant  J.  D.  Taylor.  The  embarkation  was  effected 
in  good  order ;  and,  at  a  few  minutes  past  seven,  the 
transport  left  the  dock  amid  the  cheers  of  a  great  con- 
course of  people,  friends  of  the  Regiment  and  others, 
who  had  assembled  to  witness  the  embarkation. 


REGIMENTAL  ORDERS. 
(extracts.) 

HuBsoN  River,  Steamer  Congress,  ) 
July  2d,  1831,  7.30  A.  M.  )  ^ 

Captain  "Wyckofp  will  be  Officer  of  the  Day,  and 

Lieutenant  Cairnes  Officer  of  the  Guard. 
At  eight  o'clock  precisely  the  guard  will  be  organized.     Commandants 
of  Companies  will  detail  their  guards  agreeably  to  previous  orders. 

The  Quarter-Master  and  Quarter- Master  Sergeant  are  especially 
intrusted  with  the  care  of  the  State  property  in  possession  of  the  Regi- 
ment. The  Assistant  Quarter-Master  is  charged  with  the  duty  of 
forming  the  encampment;  he  will  be  assisted  by  the  Seijeant-Majors,  and 
such  other  aid  as  may  be  necessary.  Tents  will  be  pitched  at  the  sound 
of  the  bugle;  immediately  previous  to  this  signal  there  will  be  three 
ruffles  of  the  drum. 

By  order  of  Colonel  Stevens, 

Millard,  Adjutant. 


QUARTER-MASTER'S  REPORT,  JULY  2. 

Transport  Steamboat  Congress,  July  2,  1831. 
The  whole  of  the  materiel  was  conveyed  early  this  morning  from  the 
Arsenal  and  safely  embarked  on  board  the  transport;  it  is  securely  stowed 
on  the  forward  deck,  and  so  arranged  that  the  field-pieces  can  be  cleared 
for  service,  if  required. 

Sniffen,  Quarter-Master. 
To  L.  W.  Stevens,  Esq., 

Colonel  National  Guard. 


%   *  *  *    '"O'' 


•:i^ 


102  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Head-Quarters,  Poughkeepsie,  July  2d,  1831. 

After  guard-mounting,  the  following  Reports  were 
handed  in: 

CAMP  CLINTON. 
REPORT  OF  THE  OFFICER  OF  THE  DAT,  JULY  2. 

The  Officer  of  the  Day,  appointed  by  Orders  from  Head-Quarters,  on 
entering  upon  the  duties  assigned  him,  on  board  the  transport  Steamboat 
Congress,  immediately  after  the  promulgation  of  Orders,  mounted  the 
BLACK  PLUME,  and  the  Officer  of  the  Guard  the  white  plume,  the  distinc- 
tions directed  to  be  worn  by  the  persons  filling  those  stations  during  the 
excursion. 

TTie  Guard  was  paraded  at  eight  o'clock,  consisting  of  four  men  from 
each  company ;  the  Officer  of  the  Guard  placed  a  sentinel  over  the  ammu- 
nition and  camp  equipage — one  man  on  the  upper  deck,  and  two  at  Head- 
Quarters  ;  not  having  occasion  for  all  the  details,  eight  men  were  returned 
to  their  respective  companies. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  officers  breakfasted,  by  special  invitation,  with  Cap- 
tain RooME  and  Secretary  Holt. 

The  several  companies  were  paraded  and  drilled,  half  an  hour  each,  on 
the  upper  deck. 

Captain  Brower  was  occupied,  with  details  from  his  Company  (8th), 
in  preparing  for  the  heavy  artillery  duty  which  had  been  assigned  to  him. 
One  of  the  guns  was  cleared  and  placed  in  a  situation  to  afford  them  an 
opportunity  of  drilling ;  and  they  acquitted  themselves  in  a  manner  that 
showed  the  duty  was  by  no  means  new  to  them. 

The  Regiment  was  paraded  (without  arms)  on  passing  West  Point,  and 
so  disposed,  on  the  upper  and  lower  decks,  as  to  make  a  handsome  display ; 
being  a  United  States  post,  it  was  saluted  with  a  gun,  and  music  from  the 
band,  and  the  martial  Corps,  alternately. 

On  approaching  Newbuegh,  the  Regiment  was  paraded  in  a  similar 
manner,  and  a  gun  fired  in  return  for  a  salute  fired  in  very  superior  style 
from  the  shore  by  Mr.  Norris.  A  salute  of  one  gun  from  New  Hamburgh 
was  returned.  All  the  steamboats  saluted  in  passing,  and  their  salutes 
were  returned. 

As  the  boat  approached  Poughkeepsie,  a  salute  was  fired  from  the  Caul 
Rock,  which  was  acknowledged  by  a  gun  when  opposite  the  landing. 

The  Regiment  paraded  for  debarkation  at  half-past  four,  and  was  received 
by  the  president  and  trustees  of  the  village,  and  a  great  concourse  of  citi- 
zens.    An  escort,  consisting  of  the  Artillery  and   Fusileer   Companies, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ;[03 

fonning  a  Battalion  under  Major  Beadle,  conducted  it  to  the  parade,  wlicre 
arms  were  piled,  knapsacks  unslung,  and  the  Regiment  proceeded  to  dinner, 
in  the  mess-house  erected  for  the  Corps  by  Mr.  Swift,  with  whom  arrange- 
ments had  been  made  for  subsistence  during  our  encampment. 

After  dinner  the  Regiment  marched  to  the  camp  ground,  whither  it  had 
been  preceded  by  the  Quarter- Master  and  his  Assistants,  with  the  train. 
The  several  companies  immediately  occupied  the  stations  allotted  to  them, 
and  received  their  tents,  poles,  &c.,  details  being  furnished  to  pitch  the 
ofBcers'  tents. 

At  half-past  six  the  hugle  signal  was  given  for  pitching  the  tents,  at 
which  they  were  all  raised  simultaneously,  and  affixed  in  their  positions, 
with  an  order  and  regularity  entirely  unexpected  in  a  first  attempt ;  in  less 
than  a  minute  after  the  sounding  of  the  bugle  the  formation  of  Camp 
Clinton  was  complete.  Some  time  was  spent  perfecting  the  interior 
arrangement  of  the  tents,  upon  the  completion  of  which  the  drums  beat  for 
evening  parade. 

The  Companies  mustered  promptly,  and  made  a  good  appearance ;  imme- 
diately after  the  parade  was  dismissed,  the  details  for  the  guard  were  mus- 
tered, and  the  old  guard  relieved. 

The  utmost  harmony  and  good  feeling  prevailed  throughout  the  Regi- 
ment during  the  day ;  the  men  were  cheerful,  and  appeared  to  enjoy  them- 
selves during  the  passage ;  and  through  their  attention  and  steadiness  the 
debarkation  was  effected  without  the  least  delay,  and  in  perfect  good  order. 
At  dinner  everything  was  conducted  with  decorum ;  the  table  of  the  Officer 
of  the  Day  was  honored  with  the  presence  of  the  field  and  staff.  The  cor- 
rectness and  precision  with  which  the  preparations  for  and  formation  of  the 
camp  were  performed  were  creditable  to  all  concerned. 

In  closing,  the  Officer  of  the  Day  is  gratified  in  being  able  to  report  that 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  day  there  was  a  general  feeling  of  pleasure  at  the 
manner  in  which  its  duties  had  been  performed,  and  with  the  expedition 
generally  thus  far. 

The  black  plum^  was  transferred  to  Captain  Brower  at  the  evening  parade 
of  the  guard. 

J.  V.  D.  "Wtckoff,  Captain  7th  Company, 

OflBcer  of  the  Day. 


The  Quarter- Master  reported: 

Camp  Clinton,  July  2,  1831. 
The  Train  was  landed  on  the  dock  immediately  after  the  disembarkation 
of  the  Regiment,  but,  owing  to  some  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the 


]^04  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REGIMENT. 

persons  intrusted  with  the  teams,  the  horses  which  had  been  provided  for 
the  use  of  this  department  were  used  for  conveying  the  companies'  bag- 
gage to  the  camp  ground,  in  consequence  of  which,  and  the  great  weight 
of  the  largest  wagon  (which  required  four  horses,  to  ascend  the  hill),  and 
the  breaking  of  some  part  of  the  gearing,  we  were  considerably  delayed 
in  reaching  the  camp  ground. 

Notwithstanding  these  detentions  we  succeeded  in  having  the  materiel 
on  the  ground  by  the  time  the  Eegiment  arrived  there,  and  had  disposed 
of  it  according  to  the  arrangements  of  the  Assistant  Quarter-Master. 

Sniffen,  Quarter-Master. 

To  Colonel  Stevens, 

Commandant  of  the  Post. 


The  Assistant  Quarter-Master  reported : 

Camp  Clinton,  July  2,  1831. 

The  Assistant  Quarter-Mastek,  having  been  charged  with  the  duty 
of  forming  the  encampment,  has  the  honor  to  report  that  immediately  on 
the  arrival  of  the  transport  at  the  wharf  he  procured  a  conveyance  to  the 
site  of  the  encampment,  for  himself,  the  Secretary,  the  Surgeon's  Mate, 
the  Sergeant  and  Assistant  Sergeant-Majors,  and  the  Sergeant  of  the 
Guard,  who  had  been  detailed  for  his  assistance. 

He  immediately  proceeded  to  mark  out  the  ground,  and  stake  the  posi- 
tion for  each  tent;  and  through  the  spirited  exertions  of  the  gentlemen 
who  assisted  him  he  was  enabled  to  complete  the  survey  in  time  to  join 
the  Regiment  at  dinner. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  Regiment  at  the  camp  ground,  the  companies 
were  directed  to  the  positions  they  were  severally  to  occupy,  and  the  mem- 
bers instructed  in  the  modus  operandi  of  kicking  open  a  tent  and  pitching 
it  in  its  station. 

The  Assistant  Quarter- Master  has  the  honor  to  give  the  following  detail 
of  the  disposition  of  the  camp :  The  head  line  occupies  a  space  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet,  with  an  avenue  forty  feet  in  width,  perpen- 
dicular to  the  center,  and  leading  to  Head- Quarters ;  the  commands  are 
arranged  on  streets,  each  twenty  feet  in  width,  formed  by  a  file  of  four 
tents  on  each  side,  occupying  forty-five  feet  in  depth ;  the  tents  of  the  line 
officers  face  the  streets  of  their  respective  commands,  fifteen  feet  to  the 
rear  of  the  lines  of  company  tents,  and  sixty  feet  from  the  head  line. 
The  Lieutenant-  Colonel  and  Major  occupy  the  center  of  the  right  and  left 
wings,  twenty-seven  feet  to  the  rear  of  the  line  officers'  tents,  and  eighty- 
seven  feet  from  the  head  line.  The  Head-  Quarters  occupy  an  eminence 
commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  camp  ground,  one  hundred  and  fourteen 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  |()5 

feet  to  the  rear  of  the  center  of  the  head  of  the  camp ;  the  staff  are  quar- 
tered to  the  right  and  left  of  Head-  Quarters,  as  follows :  fii-st  on  the  right, 
the  Pay -Master,  next  the  Sergeant- Major  and  Assistant  Sergeant- Major ; 
first  on  the  left,  the  Adjutant  and  Quarter -Master,  next  the  Assistant 
Quarter-Master  and  Secretary,  next  the  Surgeon  and  Surgeon's  Mate,  next 
the  Quarter -Master  Sergeant  and  Sergeant  of  the  Guard;  six  tents  are 
pitched  in  rear  of  the  left  for  the  music,  and  three  in  rear  of  the  right  for 
the  servants ;  the  main  guard  occupy  three  tents  on  the  extreme  left  of 
the  head  of  the  camp,  at  the  entrance  to  the  field.  The  two  pieces  of 
cannon  are  placed,  in  battery,  at  the  head  of  the  center  avenue ;  and  the 
baggage  wagons  and  tumbrel  are  disposed,  as  the  ground  would  permit, 
along  the  front  of  the  right. 

The  following  disposition,  for  ornament,  has  been  made  of  the  Colors : 
the  Regimental  Colors  are  raised  at  Head-  Quarters,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  entrance ;  the  Regimental  Camp  Colors  and  two  of  Captain  Roome's 
Bandrols  are  placed,  one  of  each,  on  each  side  of  the  front  of  Head-  Quar- 
ters; a  pair  of  Regimental  Camp  Colors  at  the  head  of  the  avenue;  and 
the  Colors  of  the  Third,  Fourth,  Sixth,  Seventh  and  Eighth  Companies  in 
their  respective  streets,  one  at  each  end ;  the  Regimental  Signal  Flag  is 
raised  on  the  main  guard,  and  one  of  Captain  Roome's  Bandrols  at  each 
corner  of  "sentry's  rounds,"  marking  the  extremes  of  the  encampment. 

The  Assistant  Quarter- Master  presents  the  following  summary  of  the 
encampment,  viz. : 

64  Tents  for  the  rank  and  file, 
8  Marquees  for  the  line  officers, 
3         "        for  the  field  ofiicers, 
6         "        for  the  staff, 
3  Tents  for  the  guard. 
6     "      for  the  music, 
3     "      for  the  servants. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

AsHER  Taylor,  Assistant  Quarter-Master, 
Colonel  L.  W.  Stevens, 

Commandant  of  the  Post. 


In  the  evening  a  communication  was  received  from  the 
Committee  appointed  by  the  inhabitants  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  celebrating  the  "  Fourth  of  July,"  requesting 
a  conference  in  relation  thereto.  A  Committee  of  three 
was  appointed  to  represent  the  officers,   who  returned 


106  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

from  the  interview  with  an  invitation  to  all  the  officers  to 
the  principal  hotel  of  the  place,  where  they  met  and  were 
introduced  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Village,  the  Committee  of 
Arrangements,  and  many  of  the  most  respectable  inhab- 
itants, all  of  whom  united  in  a  hearty  welcome  to  the 
Corps.  After  partaking  of  refreshments  provided  by  the 
Trustees  and  Committee,  the  officers  returned  to  camp. 

A  note  was  received,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  from 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Cuyler,  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  congre- 
gation, tendering  his  services  for  prayers  on  the  following 
(Sunday)  morning ;  which  were  promptly  and  gratefully 
accepted,  with  an  intimation  that  the  Regiment  would  be 
ready  to  attend  him  at  half-past  six ;  and  at  that  hour  the 
next  morning  the  Corps  paraded  for  "Divine  Service" 
on  the  Regimental  Parade,  and  were  met  in  prayer  by 
the  reverend  gentleman. 

Sunday,  3d  July,  was  passed  with  as  much  quiet  as 
possible  ;  visitors  to  the  camp  were  strictly  prohibited. 
Leave  of  absence  was  granted  to  such  of  the  members  as 
desired  to  attend  Divine  Service,  to  which  invitations  had 
been  sent  in  from  several  Churches.  They  were  in  all 
cases  required  to  go  in  citizen's  dress. 

FOURTH  OF  JULY. 

The  Report  of  the  Officer  of  the  Day  gives  a  summary 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  Regiment : 


BECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  XQT 

Camp  Clinton,  July  4,  1831. 

The  Officer  of  Hie  Day  has  the  honor  to  report  the  following  summary 
of  occurrences  during  his  tour  of  duty : 

In  compliance  with  orders  from  Head-Quarters,  the  Officer  of  the  Guard 
was  directed  to  admit  visitors  into  the  camp;  in  consequence  of  which  a 
great  number  of  persons  honored  us  with  calls  during  tlio  day,  and  all  duo 
civility  was  administered  to  them. 

The  Regiment  formed  at  nine  o'clock,  and  marched  to  the  parade  ground, 
where  it  was  reviewed  by  Major-  General  Brush,  accompanied  by  his  staff, 
and  performed  several  evolutions  under  his  inspection. 

At  twelve  o'clock  a  national  salute  was  fired  by  Captain  Brewer,  with 
details  from  the  Eighth  Company,  and  the  Regiment  paraded  in  celebration 
of  the  day  hallowed  in  the  hearts  of  the  free  citizens  of  America ;  it  was 
received  at  the  head  of  the  camp  by  Major  Beadle's  Battalion,  and  escorted 
to  the  head  of  the  procession  line. 

[After  marching  through  the  principal  streets  of  the  village  the  column 
halted  at  the  Dutch  Church;  the  Regiment,  filing  by  the  right  and  left  flanks, 
opened  for  the  procession  to  pass  through  into  the  Church ;  after  which  the 
Regiment  occupied  seats  reserved  for  it  in  the  body  of  the  Church. 

After  the  various  ceremonies  and  exercises  in  the  Church,  which  were 
of  a  highly  interesting  and  patriotic  character,  the  Regiment  returned  to 
the  parade  and  piled  arms;  and  at  "Roast  Beef  marched  to  the  "mess 
"house"  to  continue  the  celebration  with  "the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow 
"of  soul,"  around  the  festive  board,  in  conjunction  with  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village,  who  had  made  arrangements  to  join  them.  The  dinner  was 
followed  by  the  usual  and  appropriate  festivities — toasts,  songs,  recitations, 
story,  mirth  and  glee,  accompanied  by  music  and  the  firing  of  cannon.] 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  dinner  the  Regiment  returned  to  camp,  highly 
gratified  with  the  courtesies  and  civilities  its  members  had  received  from 
all  with  whom  they  had  been  engaged  in  the  celebration  and  festivities  of 
the  day. 

**  ******* 

The  guard  was  turned  off  at  eight  o'clock,  and  the  OflQcer  of  the  Day 
resigned  the  black  plume  to  Captain  Jones. 

T.  PosTLEY,  Captain  6th  Company, 

Officer  of  the  Day. 


REPORT  OP  THE  OFPIOER  OP  THE  NIGHT. 

July  5th,  1831. 
Relieved  Captain  Postley  at  eight  last  evening;  the  countersign  was 
received  from  Head-Quarters  at  half-past  eight,  and  was  given  out  with  a 


X08  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

charge  to  the  sentinels  to  use  proper  vigilance  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties,  and  at  the  same  time  to  show  every  civility  to  strangers  approach- 
ing the  camp. 

A  general  mvitation  having  been  given  to  the  citizens  to  visit  us  during 
the  evenmg,  an  unanimous  bustle  took  place  after  the  parade,  preparing  to 
give  them  a  brilliant  reception.  ***** 

Immediately  after  dark  the  camp  was  illuminated  by  placing  a  number 
of  lighted  candles  in  each  tent,  the  light  of  which  through  the  canvas  made 
a  picturesque  and  striking  effect ;  at  the  same  time  the  fronts  of  the  tents 
were  thrown  open,  exhibiting  the  interior  arrangements  for  decoration, 
which  in  many  instances  were  highly  ornamental.  Lighted  candles  were 
also  placed  in  the  ground  in  front  of  the  tents,  in  every  variety  of  figure 
and  ornament  the  fancy  or  whim  of  the  occupants  could  suggest. 

The  concourse  of  visitors  during  the  evening,  until  after  eleven  o'clock, 
was  very  great,  comprising  all  the  beauty  and  fashion,  and,  in  fact,  nearly 
the  whole  poj)ulation  of  the  place  j  and  the  Officer  of  the  Night  feels  it 
due  to  the  mi^mbers  of  the  Corps  to  state  that  they  appeared  to  vie  with 
each  other  in  rendering  every  courtesy  and  attention  in  their  power. 

The  hand  was  stationed  at  Head- Quarters,  and  played  at  intervals,  and 
in  fine  style,  numerous  popular  airs ;  the  martial  corps  was  a  part  of  the 
time  at  Captain  Roomers  quarters,  where  a  party  of  ladies  and  members 
of  the  Corps  availed  themselves  of  an  even  space  of  green  to  "trip  it  on 
"the  light  fantastic  toe"  through  the  "mazes  of  the  cotillon"  and  other 
dances.  Ibe  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  generally  invited  to  Head-  Quar- 
ters, and  the  officers  threw  open  their  quarters  to  the  visitors,  tendering 
such  refref^hments  as  the  camp  afforded. 

Tattoo  was  postponed  until  twelve  o'clock. 
********* 

Orders  having  been  given  to  be  in  readiness  to  strike  the  tents  immedi- 
ately a  ?ter  breakfast,  the  men  were,  early  next  morning,  busily  employed 
in  pacKing  and  preparing  for  departure;  at  half-past  six,  "Peas  on  the 
*'tren'her;"  after  which,  everything  being  prepared,  the  "Generale"  was 
beat,  the  bugle  signal  given,  the  tents  struck  simultaneously,  and — Camp 
Cl]*"  fON  ceased  to  be. 

»  ******** 

Wm.  Jones,  Captain  3d  Company, 

Officer  of  the  Night. 


REPORT  OP  THE  OFFICER  OF  THE  DAY. 


Camp  Clinton,  Steamboat  Congbess,  and  ) 


City  of  New  York,  July  5,  1831. 
In  compliance  with  Regimental  and  Special  Orders,  the  Officer  of  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  IQC) 

Day  entered  upon  his  duties  at  eight  o'clock,  without  parade  of  the  guard ; 
soon  after  which,  everything  being  in  readiness  to  de-camp,  the  line  of 
march,  in  column  of  company,  preceded  by  the  President  and  the  civil 
authorities  of  Poughkeepsie,  was  taken  up  through  the  principal  streets 
of  the  village  to  the  Hudson  River,  where  the  Regiment  embarked  on 
board  the  Steamboat  Congress,  parading  on  the  promenade  deck  at  half-past 
nine  o'clock  A.  M.  The  boat  immediately  after  left  the  wharf  amid  the 
cheers  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs  by  a  large  concourse  of  the  assembled 
citizens,  which  were  returned  by  three  cheers  from  the  line  and  music  from 
the  band. 


In  passing  Newburgh  and  the  military  station  at  West  Point,  the  Regi- 
ment paraded  on  the  promenade  deck,  and  each  place  was  saluted  with  a 
gun,  and  two  volleys  of  musketry  by  wings. 

********* 

At  six  o'clock  P.  M.  the  Battalion  was  in  readiness  for  disembarking, 
and  again  paraded  on  the  promenade  deck ;  on  passing  Fort  Gansevoort 
and  the  North  Battery,  and  when  opposite  the  steamboat  landing,  single 
guns  were  fired  by  Captain  Brower ;  a  volley  was  given  between  the  first 
and  second  guns,  and  two  volleys  between  the  second  and  third. 

At  a  quarter  before  seven  the  debarkation  was  effected,  and  the  evening 
parade  took  place  in  the  Park,  immediately  after  which  the  several  compa- 
nies were  dismissed. 

The  general  deportment  of  the  men  during  the  day,  and  their  appearance 
at  the  evening  parade,  reflected  the  highest  credit  upon  them  and  the 
Corps ;  and  the  Officer  of  the  Day  feels  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the 
courtesy  evinced  by  every  member — so  essential  in  the  character  of  a 
soldier. 

********* 

In  closing  his  Report,  he  takes  the  liberty  of  adding  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion expressed  by  every  member  of  the  Corps  with  whom  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  conversing,  in  all  the  arrangements  of  the  tour ;  and  his  firm 
conviction  that  the  pleasure  and  beneficial  results  have  far  exceeded  the 
most  sanguine  expectations. 

"W".  T.  Beach,  Captain  5th  Company, 

Officer  of  the  Day. 


IIQ  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


ADDENDA  TO   THE   MEMOIR   OF   CAMP   CLINTON. 
ABSTRACT  OF  FORCE. 

Field. 

Linus  "W.  Stevens,  Colonel, 
and  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Major. 

Staff. 

Millard,  Adjutant;  Beach,  Assistant  Pay-Master ; 

Sniffen,  Quarter-Master;  Taylor,  Assistant  Quarter-Master; 

Varick,  Surgeon;  Cleveland,  Surgeon's  Mate; 

Holt,  Secretary. 

1st  Company,    Captain  Spelman,  Lieutenant  Heckel, 

Non-commissioned  ofBcers,  3;  privates,  11;  -     -     16 

2d  Company,    Captain  Ellison,  Lieutenant  Raymond  ; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  3 ;  privates,  2*;     -     -       7 

3d  Company,    Captain  Jones,  Lieutenant  Welsh  ; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  5;  privates,  26;  -     -     33 

4:th  Company,  Captain  Roome,  Lieutenant  McAlister; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  7;  privates,  43 ;    -     •     52 
5th  Company,  Captain  Beach  ; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  2;  privates,  11;  ■     •     14 

Qth  Company,   Captain  Postley,  Lieutenant  Merritt  ; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  5;  privates,  20;  -     -     27 

^th  Company,  Capt.  Wykoff,  Lieut.  Cairns,  Lieut.  Jenkins  ; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  2;  privates,  15;  -     -     20 

8^^  Company,  Captain  Brower,  Lieutenant  Denison; 

Non-commissioned  officers,  7;  privates,  21 ;  -     -     30 

[Note. — Of  the  seven  officers  who  did  not  accompany  the  Corps,  five  were  absent 
from  the  city  or  detained  by  sickness.] 

Non-commissioned  Staff. 

Rhodes,  Sergeant- Major ;  Hoyt,  Assistant  Sergeant- Major ; 

Taylor,  Quarter- Master  Sergeant;     Rogers,  Sergeant  of  the  Guard. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


Ill 


RECAPITULATION. 


Officers —  Field, 

Staff,  - 
Line, 

Non-commissioned  officers — Staff,  - 

Line, 

Privates, 

Music —  Band, 

Martial, 

Servants, 


All  told, 


3 

7 
16—  26 

4 

34—  38 

149 

14 

7—  21 

22 


256 


[Note — Several  members  joined  the  companies  at  the  camp,  and  some  were  obliged 
to  return  before  the  Regiment;  in  making  the  abstract,  the  largest  muster  of  each 
company  was  taken.] 


61 

72 

480 

00 

73 

63 

202 

00 

MEMORANDUM    OF    EXPENSES. 

Passages  up,  $101.00;  do.  down,  including  dinner,  $187.50;  -  $288  50 
Use  of  the  field  for  camp  ground,  $  15.00 ;  use  of  boards,  $15.45 ;  30  45 
Use  of  marjwee,  $10;  transportation,  $51.72  ; 

Subsistence, 

Powder,  $27.25;  sundries,  $46.38; 

Music — ^band,  $130.00;  martial  corps,  $72; 

$1136  30 

Of  which  was  collected  by  assessment,  at  $10.00 
for  officers,  $5.00  for  non-commissioned  officers, 
$3.00  for  privates, $872  00 

Balance  ifrom  Regimental  Fund,    -        -        -        -264  30 — $1136  30 

[Note. — The  charge  for  passage  was  fifty  cents  per  man,  each  way;  and  for  sub- 
sistence, fifty  cents  per  man,  per  day.] 


QUARTER-MASTER   SERGEANt's   REPORT   OF   AMMUNITION. 

Delivered,  on  Commandants'  requisitions,  to  Companies — 

July  4,  Musket  cartridges, 2,715 

"    6,  Returned  to  Arsenal, 2,285 


5,000 


112 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


Delivered  on  board  of  transport — 

July  2,  for  salute  at  West  Point,     - 
"  "  Newburgh, 

**  "  New  Hamburgh, 

"  "  Poughkeepsie, 

Delivered  at  Camp  Clinton — 
July  2,  for  Evening  Gun, 
"  3,  for  Morning  Gun, 
"  3,  for  Evening  Gun, 
"  4,  for  Morning  Gun, 
"  4,  for  National  Salute,  - 
"  4,  for  Evening  Gun, 
"     5,  for  Morning  Gun, 

On  board  of  transport — 

July  5,  for  Salute  at  Newburgh, " 
"  "  West  Pointy 

«  "  New  York, 


six-pounder  cartridge. 


24 


1 
2 
3 

40 


July  6,  Returned  to  Arsenal,  12  six-pound  shot. 

Joseph  D.  Taylor, 

Quarter-Master  Sergeant. 
New  York,  July  6th,  1831. 


Immediately  after  the  return  of  the  Corps,  the  follow- 
ing Card  was  prepared,  and  a  copy  forwarded  to  each  of 
the  Poughkeepsie  newspapers : 


THE   CARD. 

The  Officers  of  the  Regiment  of  National  Guards,  on  behalf  of  them- 
selves and  their  associates,  take  peculiar  pleasure,  on  their  return  to  their 
homes,  and  at  the  moment  of  laying  aside  the  character  and  garb  of  the 
soldier  and  resuming  that  of  the  citizen,  in  expressing  thus  publicly  the 
high  sense  they  entertain  of  the  hospitality  and  attention  manifested 
towards  them  by  the  inhabitants  of  Poughkeepsie  during  their  recent  tour 
of  sei'vice  at  Camp  Clinton. 

To  Major  Beadle,  commandant  of  the  escort,  Captain  ?ine  and  his 
Company  of  Artillery,  Captain  Sleight  and  his  Company  of  Fusileers, 
their  thanks  are  eminently  due,  for  their  flattering  reception  and  escort. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  \l^ 

Genei"al  Maison,  and  the  gentlemen  composing  the  Committee  of  Ar- 
rangements for  the  festivities  of  the  Fourth;  Colonel  Livingston,  the 
President  of  the  .Day,  and  the  gentlemen  associated  with  him  in  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  will  please 
accept  their  acknowledgments  for  their  distinguished  attentions  and  civil- 
ities. 

They  feel  particularly  flattered  with  the  brilliant  assemblage  of  beauty 
and  fashion  which,  on  the  occasion  of  the  illumination  of  the  Camp, 
honored  them  with  their  attendance,  and  complimented  them  with  their 
delightful  approbation. 

To  the  united  civilities  of  every  individual  with  whom  the  Corps  has 
been  associated  in  this  their  first  tour  of  camp  duty,  are  to  be  ascribed  the 
great  satisfaction  and  unalloyed  pleasure  experienced  by  every  member 
of  it. 

By  order. 

P.  H.  Holt,  Military  Secretary. 

New  Yobk,  July  6th,  1831. 


All  the  Poughkeepsie  papers  gave  flattering  notices  of 
the  Corps.     We  select  an  extract  from  that  of  the  Journal: 


The  orderly,  and  exemplary,  and  gentlemanly  deportment  of  this  Corps, 
and  the  complaisance  and  suavity  of  manners  of  the  officers,  demand  from 
ns  and  from  our  citizens  the  most  unqualified  commendation,  and  that 
commendation  could  not  be  better  evinced  than  it  has  been  by  the  respect 
and  attention  which  our  citizens  vied  with  each  other  to  pay  to  them. 

They  have  received,  as  they  well  deserved,  the  good  opinions  and  the 
best  feelings  of  our  citizens. 

Their  visit  to  us  will  be  long  cherished  with  fond  recollections. 


JAMES  MONROE,  ex-President  of  the  United  States, 
died  in  this  City  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  at  the  house  of 
Samuel  L.  Gouverneur,  his  son-in-law,  which  had  been 
his  residence  for  several  years.  He  was  buried  on  the 
7th ;  his  funeral  obsequies  were  celebrated  with  the  most 

15 


114 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


imposing  military  display,  in  which  the  Regiment  bore  a 
prominent  part;  and  the  eflfect  of  its  recent  training  at 
Camp  Clinton  was  very  manifest  and  striking,  in  the 
marching  and  general  bearing  of  the  men,  and  elicited 
the  most  flattering  commendations  from  the  military  men 
and  others  who  witnessed  it. 


VII. 

The  2 2d  of  February,  1832,  was  the  centennial  anni- 
versary of  the  Birthday  of  Washington.   - 

The  Major- General,  always  alive  to  the  due  observ- 
ance of  occasions  of  unusual  interest,  called  the  attention 
of  his  command  to  the  propriety  of  giving  a  marked 
prominence  to  the  celebration  in  commemoration  of  the 
event.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  his  Order  of 
January  25th,  1832: 


In  the  retrospect  of  the  life  of  Washington,  with  what  pride  and 
delight  may  we  follow  him  in  his  career  of  glory  and  usefulness  in  the 
"War  of  Independence,  and  in  the  establishment  of  our  republican  govern 
ment.  Nor  is  his  fame  confined  to  his  country  alone ;  it  extends  through 
out  the  whole  civilized  world.  Posterity  may  be  said  to  have  pronounced 
upon  it,  and  it  now  stands  upon  glory's  proudest  eminence. 

While  the  deeds  of  heroes  and  conquerors  of  former  times  are  passing 
into  forgetfulness,  the  virtues  and  the  services  of  the  illustrious  Wash- 
ington are  cherished  by  his  countrymen  in  ever-during  remembrance, 
and  will  be  borne  down  the  stream  of  time,  with  increasing  honors,  and 
with  a  love  and  veneration  that  will  never  die.         «        *        *        ♦ 


1X6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

On   the   20th   of   February,    the   Major-General   an- 
nounced as  follows : 


The  Committee  of  Arrangements  of  the  Corporation  have  received  from 
G.  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq.,  of  Arlington  House,  the  Tent  which  George 
Washington  used  during  the  Eevolutionary  War,  and  have  requested 
the  Major-General  to  have  it  pitched  in  the  Park,  in  front  of  the  City  Hall, 
with  military  attentions,  and  have  designated  it  as  the  place  of  assembly 
for  the  remaining  companions  in  arms  of  General  Washington. 

The  Tent  under  which  the  patriot  and  soldier  reposed  during  the  strug- 
gle of  our  Revolution,  where  were  held  the  councUs  which  formed  the  plans 
of  those  glorious  scenes  which  secured  the  independence  of  our  country, 
cannot  but  be  an  object  of  interest  and  veneration,  and  the  young  soldiers 
of  the  present  day  will  feel  proud  in  paying  honors  to  it. 

The  services  of  Colonel  Stevens^  Regiment  having  been  requested  for 
the  occasion,  and  he  having  readily  assented  thereto,  he  will  order  for  duty 
on  the  2  2d  such  part  of  his  Regiment  as  he  may  think  proper. 


Accordingly,  Captain  Brower,  with  the  Mghth  Com- 
pany, was  ordered  to  parade  for  the  service  indicated. 

The  Marquee  was  escorted  by  them  from  the  Arsenal 
to  the  Park,  and  pitched  in  front  of  the  City  Hall,  and 
held  in  charge  during  the  day. 

It  was  an  object  of  great  and  universal  interest,  and 
was  visited  in  the  course  of  the  day  by  the  Mayor  and 
Members  of  the  Common  Council,  and  principal  officers  of 
the  City  Government;  also  by  many  officers  of  the  Army 
and  Navy,  and  of  the  City  Militia,  and  several  members 
of  the  Society  of  the  ^^ Cincinnati"  and  by  quite  a  num- 
ber of  the  remaining  veterans  of  the  War  of  Indepen- 
dence, and  an  immense  throng  of  citizens,  all  apparently 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^17 

deeply  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  passing  under 
the  identical  canopy  that  had  shielded  the  head  of  the 
great  Father  of  his  Country  during  such  a  long  and  crit- 
ical period  of  his  life,  and  which  was  so  closely  associated 
with  very  many  of  the  most  momentous  events  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  officers  of  the  Regiment  were  called  to  order  for  a 
"Meeting  of  the  Board,"  under  the  hallowed  shelter; 
and,  inspired  by  the  occasion  and  the  associations,  their 
thoughts  reverted  to  the  times  which  the  scene  was  well 
calculated  to  call  up  in  their  minds,  and  from  the  great 
Chief  to  his  dearly  beloved  bosom  friend,  the  only  sur- 
viving General  officer  of  the  Revolution, 

THE   ILLUSTRIOUS  LA   FAYETTE.  i 

Resolutions  were  adopted  with  great  enthusiasm  ex- 
pressive of  regard  and  veneration  for  that  great  patriot 
and  eminent  soldier  of  our  Revolution,  and,  in  further 
testimony  thereof,  they  voted  to  procure  a  massive  gold 
medal,  to  be  presented  to  him  in  their  name,  commem- 
orative of  the  occasion  and  of  their  sentiments. 

Accordingly,  a  medal,  grand  and  unique  in  design,  was 
prepared,  highly  embellished  with  emblems  of  the  fra- 
ternity between  the  illustrious  La  Fayette  and  his  great 
friend,  our  Washington;  and,  when  finished,  it  was  sent 
forward  to  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  then   in  Paris,  to 


11^8  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

be  delivered ;  accompanied  by  a  letter  to  General  La 
Fayette,  signed  by  the  field  officers  of  the  Regiment,  in 
the  following  terms : 


General  : — ^The  National  Guard  of  the  City  of  New  York,  a  corps  of 
citizen  soldiers,  have  the  honor  to  present  for  your  acceptance  the  accom- 
panying token  of  the  sentiments  entertained  by  the  sons  of  liberty  in 
America  for  the  dauntless  champion  of  that  sacred  cause,  whose  distin- 
guished services  in  three  Revolutions,  and  whose  untiring  exertions  in 
behalf  of  the  oppressed  and  enslaved  of  every  nation,  have  raised  for  the 
hero  ^^monumentum  cere  perennius."  With  a  fervent  prayer  for  your 
health  and  happiness,  we  are. 

General,  your  obedient  servants,  &c. 


In  due  course  a  letter  was  received  from  Mr.  Cooper, 
enclosing  the  reply  of  General  La  Fayette. 

Mr.  Cooper  described  the  presentation  of  the  Medal, 
at  a  dinner  party  at  his  house,  attended  by  a  select  but 
brilliant  company  of  distinguished  friends  of  General  La 
Fayette,  of  various  nationalities.     He  said  : 

Demonstrations  of  attachment  and  of  adherence  to  his  principles  are  at 
all  times  peculiarly  grateful  to  General  La  Fayette,  when  coming  from 
America.  He  considers  himself  a  disciple  of  our  school.  *  *  * 
Your  own  offering  has  been  happily  timed,  for  it  reached  him  at  a  moment 
when  his  enemies  were  the  loudest  and  most  vindictive  in  their  attacks.  *  * 


GENERAL  LA  FAYETTE'S  REPLY. 

Gentlemen  : — The  precious  specimen  of  American  produce  and  Ameri- 
can industry  which,  in  the  name  of  the  National  Guard  of  New  York,  and 
by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  of  New  York  State 
Artillery,  you  have  been  pleased  to  offer  to  an  American  veteran,  is  a  new 
testimony  of  that  persevering  affection  of  which  it  has  been,  during  near 
sixty  years,  the  pride  and  delight  of  my  life  to  be  the  happy  object.     The 


EECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  Hg 

only  merit  on  my  part  which  it  does  not  exceed  is  to  be  found  in  the 
warmth  of  my  gratitude  and  the  patriotic  devotion  that  binds  to  the  United 
States  the  loving  heart  of  an  adopted  son. 

The  honor  which  the  gift  and  devices  of  the  beautiful  medal  have  con- 
ferred upon  me  is  still  enhanced  by  its  connection  with  the  hundredth 
anniversary  birthday  of  our  great  and  matchless  Washington,  of  whom  it 
is  the  most  gratifying  circumstance  of  my  life  to  have  been  the  beloved 
and  faithful  disciple ;  in  no  point  more  than  in  his  fond  hope  of  a  perpetual 
union  between  the  States  of  the  Confederacy — an  union  which,  as  it  has 
been  the  cherished  object  of  his  last  recommendation  to  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  the  wish  of  his  last  breath,  so  it  shall  be  to  the  last  breath  of  every- 
one of  us  who  had  the  happiness  to  fight  and  bleed  for  American  inde- 
pendence and  freedom. 

I  beg  you,  gentlemen,  to  convey  to  the  kind  donators  the  expression  of 
my  profound,  affectionate  gratitude  and  respect,  and  to  receive  for  your- 
selves the  particular  acknowledgments  of  your  most  sincere  and  obliged 
fiiend, 

La  Fafette.* 


*  Colonel  Stevens  used  to  state,  in  his  latter  days,  that  this  letter  (the  original)  was 
lost,  having  been  stolen  or  otherwise  surreptitiously  obtained  and  withheld.  Perhaps 
it  will  appear  some  day  in  somebody's  choice  collection  of  autographs.    Mark  him. 


VIII. 

In  April,  1832,  the  "s"  was  dropped  from  the  title 
of  the  Corps,  leaving  it  "National  Guard." 

The  tour  of  duty  at  Camp  Clinton  having  been  found 
80  productive  of  improvement  and  enjoyment  as  to  cause, 
in  the  following  spring,  a  general  and  decided  feeling  in 
favor  of  that,  in  preference  to  the  usual  manner  of 
"  doing  the  State  some  service,"  accordingly  a 

SECOND   CAMP  OF    EXERCISE, 
Camp  Putnam,  was  determined  on  for  this  year. 


The  City  of  New  Haven,  in  Connecticut,  having  been 

selected  for  the  locale^  and  learning  by  correspondence  with 

some  of  the  principal  citizens  that  the  visit  would  not  be 

objectionable,  but,  on  the  contrary,  very  acceptable,  and  a 

source  of  gratification  to  the  people,  arrangements  were, 

in  due  season,   commenced   for   the   undertaking.     The 

camp  equipage  was  procured  from  the  State  Arsenal,  the 

16 


122 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE   SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


United  States  Band  and  the  Regimental  Drum  Corps 
(Reidel's)  arranged  for,  and  all  the  details  put  in  proper 
forwardness. 

The  same   General  Order  of  Regulations  as  at  Camp 
Clinton  was  issued ; 

ROLL  OF  OFFICERS  FOR  THE  EXCURSION. 

Field, 

r  Linus  "W.  Stevens,  Colonel; 

The  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  the  Major. 

Staff. 
Adjutant  Millard,  Surgeon  Neely, 

Pay-Master  Rhodes,  Assistant- Surgeon  Leeds, 

Quarter-Master  Sniffen. 

Line. 


1st  Company,  Captain  Spelman, 

Lieutenants  Heckel,     Teller. 

2d 

Ellison, 

( 

'          Russell. 

3d 

Jones, 

< 

'                           Read. 

4tli        ♦ 

Roome  (Edward),  ' 

'           Nichols,     McAlister. 

5th        ' 

Beach, 

( 

'           Vermilye,  Tuttle. 

6th        ' 

Postley, 

( 

*           Delano,      Marcellus. 

Vth 

Cairns, 

( 

'           Jenkins,     Mumford. 

8th        ' 

Brower, 

< 

*           Denison,    Mosher, 

"With  the  addition,  for  the  occasion,  of 

Philetus  H.  Holt,  Military  Secretary; 
Asher  Taylor,  Assistant  Quarter-Master; 
B.  B.  Beach,  Assistant  Pay- Master ; 
J.  C.  Stoneall,  Commissary  of  Subsistence. 


On  Thursday,  June  28th,  1832,  pursuant  to  orders,  the 
Regiment  paraded,  at  five  A.  M.,  in  the  Park.  The  train, 
consisting  of  baggage,  camp  equipage,  and  two  pieces  of 
field  artillery,  was  formed  at  the  same  time  in  the  Arsenal 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  J 23 

yard;  the  whole  proceeded  by  the  shortest  route  to  "Ste- 
"vens's  Wharf"  (between  Fulton  Ferry  and  Peck  Shp), 
where  the  Steamer  United  States  was  in  readiness  to 
receive  them,  and  at  six,  pushed  off  for  New  Haven. 


FORCE    EMBARKED. 


1st  Company,  11 
3d  Company,  50 
5  th  Company,  8 
7th  Company,  27 


Field  and  Staff,  11; 


2d  Company,  4 
4th  Company,  40 
6th  Company,  23 
8th  Company,  33 


Music,  28;        Servants,  21.         Total,  256. 

On  nearing  "  the  haven  where  we  would  be,"  a  salute 
was  received  from  Long  Wharf,  and  answered. 

On  disembarking,  the  Regiment  was  received  by  Cap- 
tain Francis's  Company  of  Artillery  and  Captam-^xcH- 
Kiss's  Company  of  Grays,  and,  after  interchanging  the 
usual  military  courtesies,  was  escorted  by  them  through 
the  principal  streets  of  the  City,  and  back  to  the  mess 
house  for  dinner. 

It  was  a  gratifying  indication  of  the  good  feelings  of 
the  citizens  towards  us,  that  the  watering  carts  had  been 
taken  from  their  usual  routes  and  employed  during  the 
forenoon  in  sprinkling  the  streets  through  which  the 
Regiment  was  to  pass. 

The  ground  selected  for  the  camp  was  on  a  fine,  dry 


124  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

plain,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  steamboat 
landing;  and  the  use  of  an  unoccupied  hotel  near  the  lat- 
ter was  granted  to  the  Regiment  by  Mr.  Brewster,  with- 
out charge,  for  the  commissariat. 

Previous  to  the  disembarking,  the  staff  was  detached 
for  special  duty;  one  party,  under  charge  of  the  Military 
Secretary  (in  the  absence  of  the  Assistant  Quarter-Master, 
who  "had  married  a  wife  and  could  not  come"),  to  lay 
out  the  camp ;  and  another,  under  the  Quarter-Master, 
to  remove  the  camp  equipage  and  stores  to  the  ground. 
By  the  time  the  Regiment  arrived  on  the  field  the 
materiel  was  there,  and  all  things  in  readiness ;  and 
the  tents  were  pitched,  and  the  camp  in  order,  in  good 
season. 

Friday^  June  29. — The  regular  routine  duties  com- 
menced— guards,  drills,  parades,  &c. — ^not  overlooking 
the  pleasant  service  of  gallanting  and  tendering  the 
courtesies  of  the  Corps  to  the  numerous  parties  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  who  visited  the  camp.  At  eleven,  the 
Regiment,  in  full  uniform,  marched  to  the  City  to  partake 
of  the  hospitalities  of  the  Common  Council,  at  the 
"Tontine,"  the  provisions  for  which  were  liberal  and 
generous  in  the  extreme. 

Saturday,  30^A. — After  the  usual  morning  duties  active 
preparations  were  commenced  for  the  dinner  party,  to 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ]^25 

which  the  Regiment  had  invited  many  military  and  civic 
gentlemen  of  distinction,  and  at  two  P.  M.  the  guests 
were  marched  to  the  table  to  partake,  with  the  Regiment, 
of  a  soldier's  dinner.  The  party  broke  up  late  in  the 
afternoon,  after  an  exceedingly  pleasant  and  festive  time 
of  it. 


Sunday,  July  1. — All  quiet  and  orderly  in  camp.  The 
members  attended  Divine  service  at  the  Churches,  morn- 
ing and  afternoon,  upon  invitations  from  the  clergymen 
generally. 

Monday,  2d. — The  Corps  marched  to  the  Green  for  an 
exhibition  of  its  proficiency  in  drill  and  evolutions.  Its 
performance  was  greeted  with  great  applause.  [The 
narrator  heard  Colonel  Stevens  declare,  thirty  years 
afterwards,  that  the  performance  of  the  Regiment  on 
that  occasion,  in  the  "manual  of  arms,"  including  "the 
"firings," — ^in  the  "marchings,"  "wheelings  and  turn- 
"ings,"  and  "ahgnments,"  was  in  a  style  of  excellence 
that  he  had  never  seen  exceeded  by  any  Corps.] 

Collations,  refreshments,  wines,  bouquets,  and  compli- 
ments in  every  shape,  were  crowded  upon  the  officers 
and  men;  and,  in  fact,  the  people  seemed  at  a  loss  how  to 
give  expression  to  the  great  abundance  of  their  good  feel- 
ings toward  the  Corps,  and  all  connected  with  it.     They 


12Q  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

are  a  refined,  warm-hearted,  generous  people — ^the  citi- 
zens of  New  Haven. 

The  evening  was  set  apart  as  the  Grrand  Gala,  of 
which  due  notice  was  given  to  the  citizens  through  the 
papers.  Immediately  after  dinner  the  work  of  prepara- 
tion was  seen  in  every  direction,  and  every  member  of 
the  Corps  was  on  the  alert;  the  tents  were  arranged,  and 
ornamented  with  flowers  and  whatever  else  could  be 
obtained ;  the  streets  were  decorated  with  bunting  and 
evergreens;  at  dusk,  the  whole  camp  was  illuminated,  and 
was  soon  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  beauty  and  fash- 
ion, the  gayety,  gravity,  and  dandydom  of  the  City.  The 
officers  and  men  were  on  the  qui  vive,  doing  their  best, 
in  the  capacity  of  host,  for  the  credit  of  the  Corps  and 
the  gratification  of  the  visitors.  The  evening  passed 
gayly — music,  dancing  and  fireworks  contributing  to  the 
hilarity  and  brilliancy  of  the  scene. 

Tuesday,  July  3. — At  three  P.  M.  Camp  Putnam  was 
struck,  and  the  Regiment,  receiving  every  attention  and 
compliment  that  the  military  or  the  City  could  bestow, 
embarked  at  eight,  saluted  and  saluting  until  clear  of  the 
harbor. 

Wednesday,  July  4. — Arrived  at  home  at  daylight; 
and,  the  military  celebration  of  the  day  having  been  dis- 
pensed with,  in  consequence  of  the  sudden  appearance 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


]27 


of  that  terrible  disease,  the  cholera,  the  Regiment  was 
marched  to  the  Park  and  dismissed. 

There  was  much  anxiety  felt  on  the  subject  of  the  ex- 
posed and  irregular  living  of  the  members  of  the  Regi- 
ment during  the  week,  fearing  that  it  might  induce  the 
dreadful  disease  ;  but  it  was  afterwards  ascertained  that 
there  was  not  a  single  death  from  cholera  among  the 
members  during  its  prevalence  that  season. 


Abstract  Return  of  the  Inspection  of  the  First  Brigade  of  New  York  State 
Artillery,  commanded  hy  Brigadier- General  James  A.  Moore,  held 
October,  1832. 


Regiments. 

Commanders. 

Number  of 
Companies. 

Total 
Present. 

Present 
&  Absent 

Brig. -Gen.  &  Staff, 
Ninth, 

Twenty-seventh, 
Second, 

Col.  James  Lefferts, 
"    L.  W.  Stevens, 
"    Samuel  J.  Hunt, 

8 

8 

11 

4 
246 
435 
256 

7 
368 
593 
528 

Total  force  o 

f  the  Brigade, 

27 

941 

1497 

[Note. — ^The  Fourteenth  Regiment  having  been  consolidated  with  the  Second, 
there  are  now  but  three  Regiments  in  the  Brigade.]* 


Regimental  Orders,  November  20,  1832,  announce  as 
commissioned  : 

Samuel  D.  Denison,  Captain,  8th  Company; 
Charles  W.  Teller,  First  Lieutenant,  1st  Company; 
Thomas  W.  Mather,  First  Lieutenant,  8th  Company; 
William  F.  Burt,  Second  Lieutenant,  8th  Company. 


*  The  Sixth,  of  1860,  is  the  descendant  of  the  Second  and  Fourteenth. 


128  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REGIMENT. 

During  the  year  1833,  gray  pantaloons  were  adopted 
by  the  several  companies,  and  by  the  Board  of  Officers, 
as  a  part  of  the  uniform  of  the  Regiment. 

An  occurrence  causing  some  excitement  in  the  Regi- 
ment during  the  most  of  the  year  1833: — -Captain  Thomas 
'  Postley,  commanding  the  Sixth  Company,  accepted,  and 
quahfied  by  taking  the  oath  of  office,  a  commission  as 
Captain  in  another  Corps,  and  a  different  arm  of  the 
service  (cavalry),  intending  to  do  duty  in  both;  but  Colonel 
Stevens,  believing  that,  in  accordance  with  law  and  uni- 
versal military  usage,  the  acceptance  of  and  qualifying 
under  a  new  commission  annulled  the  former  one  under 
which  he  had  been  serving  in  this  Regiment,  ordered  an 
election  in  his  Company  to  fill  the  vacancy;  but  political 
considerations,  it  is  said,  being  urged  on  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  (Governor  Marcy),  he  interposed,  and  quashed 
the  action  of  the  Colonel.  The  officers  of  the  Regiment, 
believing  that  his  Excellency  had  taken  an  erroneous  view 
of  the  question,  then  made  a  formal  demand  for  a  Court 
of  Inquiry,  to  determine  the  right  of  the  matter;  which 
was  acceded  to,  and  the  Brigadier-G-eneral  (Moore)  was 
ordered  to  institute  such  a  Court.  The  regular  Brigade 
Court-Martial  was  directed  to  act  as  a  Court  of  Inquiry, 
and  investigate  the  subject.  After  a  protracted  hearing 
of  testimony,  and  opinions  on  law  and  military  usage 
touching  the  question  (including  an  examination  of  Major- 
G-eneral  Scott),  the  Court  came  to  the  conclusion,  unani- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ][29 

mously,  that  ''Captain  Postley  vacated  his  commission  of 
^'Captain  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment^  hy  the  a/xeptance 
^' of  a  subsequent  commission  in  another  Corps."  The 
Brigadier-General  formally  approved  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  Court,  and  of  the  determination  it  had  arrived  at. 
The  finding  was,  in  fact,  in  accordance  with  universal 
military  rule,  in  the  opinion  of  the  most  eminent  military 
gentlemen  in  the  City,  and  also  with  the  then  recently 
expressed  written  opinion  of  Adjutant-G-eneral  John  A. 
Dix.  On  an  appeal,  however,  of  Captain  Postley,  from 
the  decision  and  finding  of  the  Court,  to  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  his  Excellency  was  "somehow"  induced  (by 
party  considerations  it  was  generally  thought)  to  upset 
all  the  proceedings,  and  peremptorily  order  Postley  to 
duty  in  the  Regiment,  under  his  first  commission;  having, 
after  laboring  through  several  pages  of  Hymarole,  arrived 
at  the  profound  conclusion  that  an  officer  holding  a  com- 
mission cannot,  by  his  own  act  of  accepting  another  com- 
mission, dissolve  the  obligations  imposed  on  him  by  his 
first  commission,  without  the  assent  of  his  superiors — 
sapiently  overlooking  the  fact,  in  this  case,  that  he,  the 
Governor  himself,  had,  by  granting  him  a  second  com- 
mission, discharged  him,  according  to  all  sound  military 
logic,  from  the  obligations  of  the  first.  There  was,  how- 
ever, no  higher  appeal;  and  so,  nominally,  back  to  duty 
in  the  Regiment  Captain  Postley  came.  But  his  position 
in  the  Board  of  Officers  promised  to  be  everything  else 

but  agreeable;  he  found  himself  sadly  out  of  place. 

17 


230  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  was  dated  12th 
November,  and  Captain  Postley  was  excused,  at  his  own 
request,  from  parading  his  Company  with  the  Regiment  on 
the  following  Evacuation  Day.  And  on  the  30th  of 
November  his  pliant  friend,  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
ordered  the  transfer  of  Postley  and  his  Company,  bag 
and  baggage,  or,  rather,  such  of  the  members  (which, 
however,  was  only  a  part  of  them)  as  adhered  to  and 
desired  to  go  with  him,  out  of  the  Regiment  and  into 
another  arm  of  the  service. 

On  the  7th  December  Colonel  Stevens  charged  Cap- 
tain Philetus  H.  Holt,  late  of  the  Fourth  Company,  with 
the  duty  of  raising  and  organizing  a  new  Company  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  defection  of  the  Sixth;  all  the 
officers  of  the  Regiment  of  course  aiding  with  their  influ- 
ence, and  the  Fourth  Company  consenting  to  transfer 
thirty  men  for  a  start.  On  the  fourth  of  February  follow- 
ing (1834)  the  Commander-in-Chief  announced  the  organ- 
ization of  the  new  Company: 

Philetus  H.  Holt  was  the  first  Captain; 

Thomas  Delano,  Lieutenant  of  the  old  6th  Company, 
was  First  Lieutenant; 

Theodore  Crane,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Such  a  detestation  of  Captain  Postley,  and  the  men 
who  adhered  to  him  in  his  course,  had  come  to  pervade 
the  whole  Regiment,  that,  for  fear  the  new  Company 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


131 


might  be  looked  upon  as  in  some  way  a  continuance  of 
the  apostate  one,  they  adopted  an  entirely  different  and 
distinct  cognomen;  it  was  denominated  "Company  6," 
and  has  so  continued  to  this  day. 

Announced  in  Regimental  Orders,  December  7,  1833, 
as  commissioned : 

Washington  R.  Vermilye,  Captain,  5th  Company; 

Nathaniel  T.  Burt,  First  Lieutenant,  5th  Company; 

Edward  T.  Backhouse,  Second  Lieutenant,  4th  Com- 
pany. 


Abstract  Return  of  the  Inspection  of  the  First  Brigade  of  New  York  State 
Artillery^  commanded  hy  Brigadier- General  Moore,  held  October,  1833. 


Begiments. 

Commanders. 

Numb'r  of 
Compares. 

Matrosses 
present. 

Total 
Present. 

Present 
&  Absent 

Brig.-Gen.  &  Staff, 
Ninth, 

Twenty-seventh,* 
Second, 

Col.  James  Lefferts, 
"    L.  W.  Stevens, 
"    Samuel  J.  Hunt, 

9 

7 
10 

160 

292 
157 

4 

257 
398 
224 

7 
384 
535 
460 

Total  force  o 

f  the  Brigade, 

26 

609 

883 

1386 

*  The  Sixth  Company  was  not  ordered  for  inspection.  In  1832  it  inspected  48 
present  and  75  present  and  absent,  which,  added  to  the  above  figures  of  the  Regiment, 
would  make— present  446,  and  present  and  absent  617. 


Every  recurrence  of  the  great  national  Holy-days — the 
Anniversaries  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the 
Evacuation  of  the  City  by  the  English,  and  the  Birth  of 
Washington — was  greeted  by  an  order  from  our  venerable 


132 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


Major-General,  ever  fresh  and  original  in  thought,  and 
always  couched  in  the  most  glowing  terms  of  patriotic 
and  affectionate  regard  and  veneration  for  the  character 
and  services  of  the  great  heroes,  and  statesmen,  and 
patriots  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  principles  they  had 
established. 

FIRST  DIVISION  N.  T.  STATE  ARTILLERY. 
DIVISION   ORDEBS. 

New  York,  February  15th,  1834. 

The  twenty-second  of  February,  instant,  is  the  anniversary  of  the  Birth- 
day of  Washington.  The  recurrence  of  that  day  can  never  fail  to  awaken 
in  our  hearts  pleasing  reminiscences  of  his  worth,  and  of  his  services  to 
our  country.  Love  and  veneration  for  "Washington  is  incorporated  with 
the  warmest  feelings  of  our  hearts ;  and  while  the  expression  of  those 
feelings  do  us  honor,  they  are  a  source  to  us  of  high  gratification. 

In  honor  of  this  Anniversary,  Brigadier  General  Sanford  will  order  a 
Battalion  from  his  Brigade,  with  field-pieces,  to  fire  a  national  salute  from 
the  Battery,  at  noon.  He  will  also  direct  the  national  flag  to  be  displayed 
there  at  sunrise. 

By  order  of  Major-General  Morton. 

N.  T.  Arnold,  Division  Inspector. 


IX. 


The  first  time  that  the  civil  authorities  had  occasion  to 
call  for  military  aid  to  maintain  the  peace  of  the  City 
was  on  the  10th  April,  1834,  during  the  municipal  elec- 
tion, when  the  services  of  the  National  Guard  were 
called  for;  and  the  call  was  responded  to  with  an  alacrity 
that  produced  a  very  striking  impression  on  the  minds  of 
all  classes  of  the  people. 

The  elections,  at  that  time,  were  held  during  three 
days;  and,  in  the  inefficient  condition  of  the  City  poUce, 
were  frequently  the  scenes  of  great  excitement  and  turbu- 
lence. On  the  occasion  in  question,  party  strife,  from 
some  unusual  cause,  ran  very  high,  and  culminated  in 
the  Sixth  Ward  ("the  bloody  ould  Sixth")  in  a  series  of 
brawls  and  riots,  worthy  the  fame  of  that  delectable  pre- 
cinct, from  time  immemorial  down  even  to  tlie  days  of  the 
"Dead  Rabbits,"*  in  the  reign  of  the  renowned   Fer- 


*  An  association  of  blackgiiards  and  scoundrels  that  were  used  during  a  groat  riot 
in  llio  Sixth  Ward  in  1857,  for  a  political  purpose. 


134  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

nando — where  "snap  neck"  and  the  "sprig  of  shillelah" 
have,  time  out  of  mind,  been  the  most  potent  and  almost 
only  arguments  for  and  against  the  cause  of  the  various 
political  parties  that  have  agitated  that  turbulent  com- 
munity. 

Large  crowds  gathered  about  4;he  head-quarters  of  the 
respective  political  divisions,  from,  whence  they  sallied 
forth,  armed  with  bludgeons  and  stones,  and  whatever 
came  to  hand — j&rst  one  party,  then  the  other — against 
their  opponents,  endeavoring  to  drive  them  entirely  off 
the  ground;  and  to  such  a  degree  of  ferocity  had  the  war- 
fare attained,  that  many  from  both  sides  rushed  to  the 
gun-shops  in  Broadway  and  vicinity  for  fire-arms.  The 
whole  population  of  that  part  of  the  City  had  become 
very  much  excited  and  alarmed;  in  the  midst  of  which  a 
panic  was  raised,  under  the  apprehension  that  the  com- 
batants might  go  to  the  State  Arsenal,  force  it,  and  seize 
the  arms  it  contained.  The  bare  thought  of  such  a  thing 
was  enough  to  excite  the  greatest  horror;  and  a  rush 
was  made  by  a  considerable  number  of  peaceable  people 
to  seize  and  hold  possession  of  the  establishment  and 
the  arms,  against  the  rioters  and  fighting  men  of  all 
parties. 

The  State  Arsenal  was  a  three-story  brick  building 
(erected  in  1808),  on  the  corner  of  Elm  and  Franklin 
streets,  and,  with  its  yard,  and  outbuildings,  and  gun- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^35 

sheds,  occupied  the  block  between  Centre  and  Ehn,  and 
FrankUn  and  White  streets;  in  the  center  of  the  front,  on 
Franklin  street,  was  a  handsome  three-story  brick  dwell- 
ing, the  residence,  for  the  time,  of  the  Commissary-Gen- 
eral, who  had  the  charge  of  the  establishment. 

The  party  that  made  for  the  Arsenal,  as  their  destina- 
tion became  known,  was  augmented  by  a  large  crowd, 
actuated  by  various  motives — some  for  peace,  some  for 
war,  and  many  for  anything,  without  knowing  or  caring 
what.  Access  to  the  yard  was  an  easy  matter,  and,  the 
Commissary-General  being  away,  his  son  ("my  son 
"George"),  who  was  in  charge,  on  being  summoned  to 
give  up  the  keys  of  the  main  building,  in  which  the  arms 
were  deposited,  made  some  demonstrations  of  unwilling- 
ness, but  was  soon  induced  to  an  "unconditional  surren- 
"der,"  when  the  party  armed  themselves,  without  any 
distinct  idea,  on  the  part  of  many,  of  "their  end  and 
"aim."  Some  were  for  rushing  out  on  the  '^bloody 
^^Irishers,"  and  crossing  bayonets  with  their  "shillelahs," 
but  the  major  part  were  for  an  "armed  neutrality,"  and 
bent  on  keeping  the  peace  by  force  of  arms;  and  to  that 
end  were  determined  to  "protect,  preserve  and  defend" 
the  establishment,  and  especially  the  arms,  from  the  bel- 
ligerent crowds,  who  they  apprehended  might  make  an 
attempt  to  possess  themselves  of  them — which  course,  by 
the  by,  their  own  action  was  well  calculated  to  suggest 
and  invite. 


]_36  RECOLLEOTIOXS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  knowledge,  by  some  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  crowd,  that  the  National  Guard  was  ordered  out  and 
was  expected  early  on  the  ground,  had  a  strong  influence 
to  restrain  those  who  were  disposed  for  mischief. 

The  news  of  the  attack  on  and  capture  of  the  Arsenal 
spread,  in  every  variety  of  exaggeration,  like  wild-fire 
throughout  the  City;  and,  superadded  to  the  already 
current  stories  of  "war  and  rumors  of  war"  going  on 
amongst  the  rowdies,  created  an  alarm  and/?^ror  scarcely 
ever  experienced  before  in  the  City. 

In  response  to  the  call  of  the  Mayor  (the  Hon.  Gideon 
Lee)  on  G-eneral  Morton  for  military  aid  to  subdue  the 
insurrection,  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  was  ordered 
to  assemble  forthwith;  and  in  an  incredible  short  space 
of  time  a  large  portion  of  the  members,  uniformed  and 
armed,  were  on  hand  in  the  Arsenal  yard. 

The  irregular  force  that  had  been  holding  the  establish- 
ment were,  of  course,  superseded,  their  "occupation 
"gone,"  and  they  quietly  retired. 

The  Regiment  was  kept  close  within  the  limits  of  the 
establishment,  and  quartered  in  the  main  building;  and 
the  gates  and  sheds,  and  various  assailable  points,  prop- 
erly guarded. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  23*7 

The  turbulence  and  disorder  subsided,  owing,  doubt- 
less, to  the  demonstration  of  energy  and  power  on  the 
part  of  the  magistrates. 

After  midnight  Mayor  Lee  visited  the  "garrison,"  and 
reUeved  the  Regiment  from  further  duty;  thanking  the 
men  for  their  prompt  response  to  his  call  for  aid  to 
restore  order,  and  declaring,  emphatically,  that  the  City 
had  been  in  a  state  of  insurrection,  beyond  the  power  of 
the  civil  authorities  to  control  or  subdue.  The  men  retired 
to  their  homes,  and  "order  reigned." 

The  people  of  the  City,  of  all  classes,  were  enlightened 
hj  the  novel  experience  of  that  day — the  mass  of  quiet 
citizens,  by  the  knowledge  that  a  disorderly  element  ex- 
isted in  their  midst,  of  a  most  formidable  and  alarming 
character,  spreading  widely,  and  including  parties  and 
classes  before  undreamed  of  in  such  connections;  and  the 
civil  authorities,  by  the  assurance  that  they  possessed  a 
power  and  a  force,  hitherto  untried,  reliable  and  at  ready 
command  for  such  emergencies,  which  was  deemed  by 
them  of  incalculable  importance ;  and  the  members  of  the 
National  Guard,  by  the  evidence  that  had  passed  under 
their  observation,  that  on  their  organization,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  orderly  people  and  the  civil  authorities  of 
this  great  City  must  rely  for  the  future  security  of  "life, 
"liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness"  within  its  borders. 
The  reflections  called  up  by  the  events  of  that  day  sank 

18 


X38  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

deeper  in  the  minds  of  observing  and  thinking  men  than 
appeared  at  the  moment. 

The  attention  of  the  mass  of  the  people  was,  however, 
for  a  time,  in  a  great  measure  diverted  from  the  serious 
importance  of  the  matter  by  the  universal  ridicule  which 
was  thrown  around  it  by  the  official  report,  made 
shortly  afterwards  by  the  Commissary- General,  so  ex- 
uberant and  overflowing  in  grandiloquent  bombast, 
ridiculous  egotism,  and  unmitigated  "bosh,"  that  it  re- 
mained a  standing  theme  for  jest  and  merriment,  com- 
pletely overriding,  for  a  time,  much  of  the  serious 
impression  on  the  public  mind,  from  the  disorderly  tumult. 

The  doughty  knight  commander,  being  away  from  his 
citadel  at  the  time  of  the  irruption,  could  only  report  the 
affair  from  the  excited  and  exaggerated  relations  of  his 
faithful  squire,  '^my  son  George,^^  and  the  man  "Corne- 
"lius  the  carpenter,"  who  had,  apparently,  been  the 
whole  available  force  of  the  garrison;  and  their  state- 
ments, augmented  by  the  inflation  of  the  Commissary- 
General  himself,  presented  to  the  imagination  a  picture, 
terrible  indeed,  of  the  doings  of  the  "mob,"  led  and 
directed,  they  asserted,  by  "a  man  in  a  claret-colored 
^^coat"*  who,  by  their  stories,  was  a  dreadful  "raw-head- 
*'and-bloody-bone"  fellow;  and  also  of  another,  who  was 

♦  Understood  to  be  Simeon  Draper,  Esq.,  then  a  young  and  ardent  politician. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^gg 

reported  as  very  officious  and  was  misnamed  in  their 
Report,  but  who  happened  to  be  an  officer  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Regiment,*  and  whose  military  experience,  and 
instincts  of  disciphne,  were  effectually  applied  to  withhold 
the  crowd  from  any  turbulent  action,  by  commanding 
them,  with  the  mien  and  bearing  of  authority,  to  "fall 
"in,"  "form  Hne,"  and,  most  effectual  of  all,  to  "keep 
"still,"  thereby  restraining  them  from  any  overt  acts 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Regiment  in  force,  which  he 
assured  them  had  been  ordered  out  for  the  emergency, 
and  might  be  momentarily  expected. 

In  reference  to  the  duties  of  the  10th  of  April,  the 
Common  Council  passed  a  resolution : 


That  the  thanks  of  the  Common  Council  be  presented  to  the  individuals 
who  thus  nobly  sustained  their  reputation  as  citizen  soldiers,  and  proved 
the  importance  and  the  necessity  to  the  city  of  a  well-disciplined  militia^ 
in  time  of  peace  as  Avell  as  in  time  of  war 


Major-General  Morton,  in  promulgating  the  resolution 
of  the  Common  Council,  adds : 


Next  to  the  satisfaction  arising  from  the  consciousness  of  having  per- 
formed a  duty,  is  the  approbation  of  those  whose  good  opinion  we  prize. 
These  resolutions,  emanating  from  the  municipal  authorities  of  our  City, 
cannot,  therefore,  but  be  highly  gratifying. 

The  late  occurrences  will  show  to  the  public  the  necessity  and  the  use 
of  a  well-regulated  militia,  prepared  at  all  times  to  support  the  magistracy 


*  Captain  Philetus  H.  Holt. 


]_40  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT. 

in  sustaining  law  and  order  in  the  community.  It  will  confirm  us  in  the 
opinion,  long  entertained,  that  the  time  has  not  yet  axrived  when  we  may 
beat  our  swords  into  plow-shares  and  our  spears  into  pruning-hooks. 

The  Major-General  doubts  not  that  the  Corps  will  still  continue  to  per- 
form its  duties ;  they  will  be  sustained  by  their  fellow-citizens,  who  will 
see  in  them,  not  the  array  of  an  uncontrolled  force,  but  a  power  directed 
by  the  venerable  majesty  of  the  laws  in  the  persons  of  the  magistrates. 


On  the  21st  June  the  Major-General  "had  the  melan- 
"choly  duty  to  announce  to  the  Division  the  death  of 
"  General  La  Fayette,"  in  France,  on  the  20th  May  pre- 
ceding, in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  The  Gen- 
eral thus  concluded:  "But  a  few  years  since  we  were 
"engaged  in  welcoming  him,  with  joyful  and  grateful 
"  hearts,  as  one  of  the  soldiers  of  our  Revolution,  and  the 
"adopted  son  of  our  country.  We  are  now  called  upon 
"  to  pay  funeral  honors  to  his  memory. 

"The  Common  Council  has  resolved  to  pay  funeral 
"honors  to  the  deceased,  and  have  invited  the  Corps  to 
"  unite  with  them  on  the  occasion. 

"The  Division  is  therefore  ordered  for  duty  on  the 
"26th  inst." — on  which  day  the  Regiment  united  in  the 
imposing  military  and  civic  demonstration  in  celebration 
of  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the  last  General  officer  of  the 
Revolution,  the  confidential  friend  of  the  great  Washing- 
ton, and  the  adopted  son  of  our  country — the  illustrious 

MARQUIS  DE   LA  FAYETTE. 


I. 


THIRD   CAMP  OF  EXERCISE. 
CAMP  HAMILTON. 

The  great  gratification  experienced  by  the  members  in 
the  tours  of  camp  duty  in  former  years,  at  Poughkeepsie 
and  New  Haven,  induced  the  Board  of  Officers  to  take 
up  the  project  of  an  encampment  near  the  City,  at  which 
all  the  duties  of  the  service  could  be  performed. 

Hamilton  Square  (between  Fourth  and  Third  avenues 
and  Sixty-sixth  and  Sixty-ninth  streets,  five  miles  from 
the  City  Hall)  was  accordingly  selected  for  the  site,  and 
orders  issued  similar  to  those  that  preceded  the  other 
encampments;  and  the  following  Order  for  parade  : 


TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT  N.  Y.  S.  ARTILLERY, 
NATIONAL   GUARDS. 
KEOIMENTAL    ORDERS. 

New  York,  June  20,  1834. 
In  accordance  with  the  expressed  desire  of  the  members  of  the  Regi- 
ment generally,  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  season  in  camp,  arrangements 


]_42  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

have  been  made  to  form  a  Camp  of  Exercise  at  Hamilton  Square,  which 
will  be  designated  "Camp  Hamilton." 

The  Regiment  will  accordingly  parade  for  that  purpose,  in  full  uniform 
(gray  pants),  with  knapsacks,  and  armed  and  equipped  complete,  on  Mon- 
day, 30th  instant.     Line  will  be  formed  in  the  Park  at  eight  A.  M. 

********* 

The  following  special  appointments  are  made  for  the  term  of  the  encamp- 
ment: 

AsHER  Taylor,  of  Company  6,  Military  Secretary; 

J.  C.  Stoneall,  Commissary  of  Subsistence ; 

Alexander  "Welsh,  Assistant  Commissary  of  Subsistence ; 

Isaac  Varian,  of  the  8th  Company,  and 

John  Hustace,  of  Company  6,  Assistants  in  Quarter-Master's  Depart- 
ment; 

Leonard  K.  Smith,  Principal  Artificer. 


ROSTER    OF    OFFICERS. 

Field. 

Colonel  Stetens, 
The  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  the  Major. 

Staff. 
Nichols,  Adjutant;  Sniffen,  Quarter-Master; 

Van  Beuren,  Pay  Master;  Neely,  Surgeon; 

Leeds,  Assistant  Surgeon ;  A.  Taylor,  Military  Secretary ; 

Powell,  Sergeant-Major;  Chapman,  Assistant  Sergeant-Major; 

J.  D.  Taylor,  Quarter- Master  Sergeant. 

Zd  Company,  Jones,  Captain;  Reed,  Doughty,  Lieutenants. 
Uh  Company,  Roome,  Captain;  McAlister,  "Ward,  Lieutenants. 
^ih  Company,  Cairns,  Captain ;  Crolius,  Van  Cott,  Lieutenants, 
8^^  Company,  Denison,  Captain;  Shumway,  Ormond,  Lieutenants. 
2d   Company,  Telfair,  Captain;  Cummings,  Hoogland,  Lieutenants. 
\st  Company,  Teller,  Captain;  Morrison,  Pearsall,  Lieutenants. 
Company  6,     Holt,  Captain;  Delano,  Backhouse,  Lieutenants. 
bth  Company,  Burt,  Captain;  Zeitz,  Belden,  Lieutenants. 


Monday,  June  30. — The  Regiment  paraded  in  the  Park 
in  fine  style;  the  train  formed  in  Broadway,  from  the  City 
Hall  upwards.     Line   of  march  taken  up  for  Hamilton 


RECOLLECTIOXS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ]^43 

Square,  preceded  by  a  detachment  from  the  Quarter- 
Master's  Department,  headed  by  the  MiHtary  Secretary, 
upon  whom  had  devolved  the  duty  of  forming  the 
encampment.  The  camp  was  laid  out,  and  the  position 
of  the  tents  indicated,  by  the  time  the  Regiment  arrived 
on  the  ground.  The  Companies  took  their  respective 
positions,  and  pitched  the  camp  with  much  precision  and 
dispatch. 

The  very  efficient  head  of  the  commissariat,  with  a 
strong  corps,  had  erected  a  magnificent  pavilion  marquee^ 
one  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  in  rear  of  the  Head-Quar- 
ters, fitted  up  with  tables  for  messing  the  whole  Corps. 
*  *  In  a  few  hours  everything  was  in  order,  and  the 
guards  turned  off  and  posted. 

A  beautiful  park  of  six  brass  guns  was  posted  in  bat- 
tery, in  front  of  the  camp. 

Tuesday,  July  1. — The  fore  part  of  the  day  was  spent 
in  drill. 

Commissary-General  Argularius  visited  the  camp  for 
the  purpose  of  trying  some  experiments  on  our  battery 
with  a  newly  invented  percussion  lock  for  field-pieces. 

The  camp  was  visited  by  many  citizens. 


144  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Wednesday,  July  2. — The  camp  seemed  the  center  of 
attraction  for  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  was  thronged 
during  the  day. 

The  Corps  was  occupied  with  the  usual  military  exer- 
cises. The  evening  parade  went  off  in  fine  style,  and 
was  witnessed  by  a  large  collection  of  citizens. 

Thursday,  July  3. — Invitations  had  been  issued  to  the 
Mayors  and  Members  of  the  Common  Councils  of  this 
City  and  of  Brooklyn,  to  the  officers  of  the  Navy  and 
Army  on  this  station,  to  the  principal  military  gentlemen 
of  the  City,  and  to  many  citizens  of  distinction,  to  visit 
the  camp  at  evening  parade.  The  early  part  of  the  day 
was  spent  in  drill  and  exercise,  and  in  preparing  to  receive 
and  entertain  the  company. 

In  the  afternoon  the  camp  was  thronged  with  a  large 
number  of  eminent  gentlemen  visitors,  civil  and  military. 

The  Evening  Parade  was  formed  in  a  style  of  excel- 
lence and  precision  which  could  only,  at  that  time,  be 
exhibited  by  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment;  and  the 
Regiment  was  reviewed  by  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  the 
Hon.  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  accompanied  by  the  other 
distinguished  visitors;  after  which  a  series  of  evolutions 
were  performed,  presenting  an  exhibition  of  military 
perfection,  under  circumstances  so  decidedly  favorable  as 
probably  to  have  never  been  equaled  in  this  City;  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  1^^ 

unostentatious  neatness  of  the  uniforms,  the  respectable 
and  inteUigent  appearance  of  the  personnel,  the  perfection 
and  precision  attained  in  the  drill,  and,  above  all,  the 
ability  and  efficiency  exhibited  in  the  commanding  and 
other  officers — all  of  which,  together  with  the  unusually 
numerous  and  brilliant  assemblage  of  officers  and  distin- 
guished citizens,  combined  to  present  a  display  unparal- 
leled in  the  military  annals  of  the  City. 

Friday,  July  4. — The  following  Regimental  Order  was 
issued : 

TWENTr-SBYENTH  REaiMENT  N.  T.  S.  ARTILLERY, 
NATIONAL  GUARD. 

Head-Quarters,  Camp  Hamilton,  ) 
New  York,  July  4,  1834.  ) 

For  the  celebration  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Anniversary  of  American  Inde- 
pendence the  several  Companies  will  be  formed  at  a  quarter  before  eleven 
A.  M.  precisely,  in  full  uniform,  white  pantaloons  and  fatigue  caps,  with 
bayonets  and  waist  belts,  prepared  to  join  in  the  exercises  of  the  day. 

It  is  desirable  that  all  the  members,  as  far  as  practicable,  should  remain 
in  camp  during  the  day ;  and  it  is  especially  enjoined  upon  every  individual 
of  the  Corps  to  appear  in  the  uniform  above  mentioned,  and  in  the  neatest 
possible  manner,  during  the  day  and  evening. 

The  Commandant  trusts  that  every  member  of  the  Corps  will  feel  that 
the  honor  and  credit  of  the  Regiment,  and  of  the  occasion,  depend  in 
some  measure  upon  his  individual  appearance  and  conduct. 

By  order. 

AsHER  Taylor,  Military  Secretary. 

The  Companies  paraded  in  beautiful  style,  and  moved 
to  the  messing  pavilion,  which  had  been  fitted  up  and 
decorated  for  the  occasion. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read,  and  an 

19 


146  RBOOLLEOTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  RBaiMENT. 

Oration  delivered;  which,  with  music  at  intervals  by  the 
band,  comprised  the  exercises  of  the  morning. 

At  twelve  o'clock  a  national  salute  was  fired  by  volun- 
teers for  the  artillery  duty,  from  the  Fourth  Company, 
which  was  performed  in  exceedingly  good  style,  the  last 
discharge  being  a  salvo  from  four  guns,  in  but  one  report. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  in  receiving  and  entertaining 
the  immense  concourse  of  visitors  that  thronged  the 
iBamp.  It  was  computed  that  at  least  thirty  thousand 
persons  visited  it  during  the  day  and  evening. 

The  evening  was  devoted  to  banqueting,  gayety,  and 
merriment;  the  camp  was  splendidly  and  brilliantly  illu- 
minated, and  the  celebration  closed  with  a  magnificent 
display  of  fireworks. 

Tattoo  at  twelve  o'clock. 

Saturday,  July  5. — -The  morning  was  spent  in  prepara- 
tions to  leave.  At  three  P.  M.  Camp  Hamilton  was 
struck. 

The  flag-staff  was  left  on  the  ground,  by  previous  de- 
termination of  the  officers,  as  a  memorial  of  the  occasion, 
and  remained  standing  for  many  years. 

The  Regiment  marched  to  the  City  in  the  afternoon, 
and  was  dismissed  in  the  Park. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^47 

The  members  hardly  had  time  to  settle  down  in  quiet, 
after  the  excitement  and  fatigue  of  their  life  in  camp, 
ere  they  were  again  "rattled  up"  to  the  aid  of  the  City 
officials,  in  quelling  a  most  formidable  and  alarming  dis- 
turbance that  was  raging  in  various  parts  of  the  City. 

For  several  months,  in  the  fore  part  of  the  year,  there 
had  been  a  good  deal  of  excitement  against  a  portion  of 
the  citizens  entertaining  anti-slavery  opinions,  or,  as  they 
were  from  that  time  generally  denominated,  ^^Aholition- 
'^ists,''  who  were  holding  a  series  of  public  meetings,  in 
which  they  indulged  in  the  most  latitudinarian  discussions 
and  violent  and  exciting  declamations  in  favor  of  their 
peculiar  views,  and,  of  course,  in  denunciation  of  all  ad- 
verse to  them;  and  were  evidently  making  an  impression 
on  the  public  mind,  alarming  to  the  demagogical-political 
organizations  which  had,  from  time  immemorial,  exercised 
the  monopoly  of  manufacturing  and  directing  the  sup- 
ply of  "public  opinion"  for  the  use  of  the  "governing 
"classes,"  and  of  promulgating  and  dictating  what  should, 
and  what  should  not,  be  held  by  the  people  to  be  "true 
"patriotism,"  "party  usage,"  "love  of  country,"  or 
"worthy  the  support  of  a  great,  enlightened,  and  free 
"people!"  They  were  quick  to  perceive  that  if  this  new 
heresy  was  permitted  to  spread  amongst  the  people,  to 
much  extent,  their  occupation  would  soon  be  gone,  and 
they  accordingly  took  measures  to  check,  and,  if  possible, 
to  crush  out  the  strange  and  abominable  doctrine  that 


248  RECOLLECTIONS   OP   THE   SEVENTH   REGIMENT. 

ALL  MEN  are  endowed  hy  their  Creator  with  the  inalienable 
right  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  burden  of  the  song  of  the  new  sect. 

The  leading  party  newspapers  of  the  day,  too — those 
disinterested,  enUghtened,  and  veracious  (as  well  as  vora- 
cious) "  general  guides  "  to  men's  minds  and  consciences 
in  political  matters — "opened  fire"  along  their  whole 
line,  and  from  their  heaviest  ordnance,  and  from  their 
^^  longest  hows,"  threatening  instant  annihilation  to  the 
hostile  and  alarming  party,  and  inciting  and  inflaming  the 
vulgar  prejudices  and  vile  passions  of  "the  baser  sort" — 
the  classes  always  available  and  reliable  for  such  work — 
to  a  course  of  open  hostility,  and  to  acts  of  violence,  in 
hopes  to  make  short  work  with  the  pestilent  faction. 
Accordingly,  the  meetings  of  the  Abolitionists  were 
attacked  and  broken  up;  and  the  mob,  increasing  in 
boldness  under  the  promptings  and  encouragement  of 
their  friends  and  advisers,  as  in  a  like  case  in  recent 
times,  proceeded  to  the  dwellings  of  some  of  the  most 
prominent  and  obnoxious  of  the  ^^Abolitionists,"  and,  in 
their  own  expressive  phrase,  ''went  through  them  " — smash- 
ing, sacking,  and  finally  burning  such  of  their  contents  as 
were  too  ponderous  to  be  "lifted." 

The  matter  seemed  to  be  getting  rather  serious,  even 
for  our  phlegmatic  Mayor,  and  his  Honor  was  finally  con- 
strained to  give  it  some  heed.    His  first  resort  was  to  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^49 

modus  of  that  illustrious  predecessor,  William  the  Testy, 
whose  way  of  proceeding  is  held  in  such  high  estimation 
by  a  certain  portion  of  the  great  men  and  patriots  of 
these  later  days,  for  his  anti-fighting  proclivities,  except 
by  proclamations  and  manifestoes,*  he  fulminated  a 
"proclamation"  to  the  rowdies,  enjoining  them  to  "be 
"still!"  with  about  as  much  effect  as  to  attempt  to 
"whistle  down  a  Nor'wester."  Finding  that  "fair 
"words"  were  of  no  avail,  his  Honor  resolved  to  try 
what  virtue  might  be  found  in  more  vigorous  demonstra- 
tions, and  called  out  several  Troops  of  the  City  Cavalry, 
and  put  them  on  the  mob;  but  neither  the  horses,  which 
were  expected  to  be  the  most  formidable  {i.  e.,  frightful) 
portion  of  the  force,  nor  their  riders,  could  be  brought  to 
striking  distance,  or  within  "  a  brickbat's  range." 

The  mobs  continued  to  thrive  and  increase  under  the 
mild  and  "peace",  appliances  of  the  authorities,  and  to 
grow  more  violent  and  threatening;  and  finally  the  Mayor, 
on  the  afternoon  of  11th  July,  required  the  services  of 
the  National  Guard,  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment;  and 
the  men  responded  to  the  call  with  a  promptitude  and 
alacrity  that  was  actually  startling  to  the  slow  nags  of  the 
City  Hall;  for,  at  a  couple  of  hours'  notice,  between  three 
and  four  hundred  of  the  members  were  on  hand,  in  line 
of  battle,  in  the  Arsenal  yard — "ready!" 

*  As  this  appears  to  have  been  written  during  the  great  rebellion,  the  narrator 
probably  thought  there  should  have  been  more  lighting  and  less  manifesto  in  some 
cases. 


150  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Whilst  the  "  big  wigs  "  were  humming  and  hawing^  and 
wondering  what  they  should  do  next,  Colonel  Stevens 
was  occupied  in  putting  the  boys  through  a  refreshing 
drill,  particularly  in  the  use  of  the  bayonet  and  in  the 
firings,  and  gravely  admonishing  them  to  steadiness  and 
coolness  in  the  duty  before  them;  and  especially,  under  all 
circumstances,  to  wait  for  orders,  and  promptly  obey 
THEM,  whatever  they  might  be. 

Upon  being  directed  by  the  Mayor  to  march  with  his 
command  to  the  City  Hall,  and  hold  himself  in  readiness 
for  such  action  as  might  be  required,  the  Colonel  re- 
quested a  proper  supply  of  ammunition  before  he  moved; 
but  the  Mayor  strongly  objected  to  the  men  having  hall 
cartridges,  could  not  imagine  that  anything  of  the  kind 
would  be  needed,  and  positively  declined  to  allow  them; 
but  the  Colonel  gave  him  to  understand  that  he  would 
not  take  his  Regiment  on  any  service  without  he  was  fully 
prepared  to  perform  it,  nor  lead  out  his  men  unless  they 
were  furnished  with  the  means  to  protect  and  defend 
themselves  in  any  emergency.  This  rather  nonplussed 
his  Honor,  who,  however,  realizing  that  the  Colonel  was 
determined  and  in  earnest,  sagely  concluded  that  if  he 
would  not  go  without  ammunition,  why,  of  course  he  must 
have  it,  and  a  limited  supply  of  ball  cartridges  was 
served  out.  * 

Colonel  Stevens  used,  in  after  times,  to  often  speak  of 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  15I 

his  anxiety  at  the  time  as  to  how  "his  boys  "  would  con- 
duct themselves  in  this  their  first  appearance  in  such  a 
trying  position.  They  were,  a  large  portion  of  them, 
quite  young,  and  had  had  but  little  training  of  their 
minds  to  the  reality  of  such  grave  duties  as  were  then 
before  them;  he  watched,  with  no  little  solicitude,  their 
reception  of  the  ball  cartridges,  which  seemed  a  novelty 
to  many  of  them;  they  turned  them  over  in  their  hands 
as  if  surprised  at  their  appearance,  and  appeared  to  be 
remarking  to  each  other  upon  the  new  and  strange  posi- 
tion in  which  they  found  themselves;  they  all,  however, 
he  noted,  placed  the  cartridges  in  their  boxes. 

The  Regiment  was  then  marched  down  Broadway  to 
the  Park.  The  streets  were  thronged  with  an  excited 
crowd  of  the  canaille,  rough  and  rowdy-looking  rascals, 
who  assailed  the  men  with  hisses,  and  hootings,  and  all 
sorts  of  vituperation,  and  the  mob  and  the  riotous  pro- 
ceedings seemed,  in  fact,  to  be  rather  popular  with  the 
people  generally,  even  of  the  better  class,  who  were  in 
the  streets  looking  on;  their  behavior,  however,  and  the 
hootings  of  the  rowdies  had  the  effect,  the  Colonel  ob- 
served, of  exciting  the  boys  to  a  proper  pitch  of  feeling  for 
the  occasion,  and  by  the  time  they  arrived  at  the  Park 
nothing  would  have  suited  them  better  than  an  order  to 
pitch  into  their  blackguard  assailants. 

The  Regiment  remained   for  a  considerable  time  in 


152  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

front  of  the  City  Hall,  and  was  kept  on  the  move,  march- 
ing, and  wheeling,  and  countermarching,  in  presence  of 
the  assembled  crowds,  to  let  them  all  see  that  they  were 
on  hand  and  ready  for  work  when  needed. 

It  was  understood,  during  the  evening,  that  there 
were  large  and  threatening  collections  of  people  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  City;  and  about  ten  o'clock  word  came 
of  a  great  and  very  disorderly  gathering  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Spring  Street  Church  (between  McDougaland  Yar- 
ick  streets),  which  was  one  of  the  most  obnoxious  points, 
there  having  been  several  meetings  of  the  Abolitionists 
held  there,  and  the  minister  and  members  of  the  congre- 
gation were  understood  to  be  amongst  the  most  zealous 
and  active  of  the  obnoxious  class.  It  was  apprehended 
that  the  mob  meditated  the  destruction  of  the  Church 
building,  and  Colonel  Stevens  was  directed  to  march  with 
celerity  to  the  scene  of  the  apprehended  disorder.  Be- 
fore moving,  he  gave  the  order  to  "load" — with  ball 
cartrides,  of  course;  and  closely  watching,  with  no 
little  interest,  the  motions  of  the  men,  he  was  satisfied, 
from  the  jerk  and  emphasis  with  which  the  "ram  down" 
was  given,  that  they  were  all  right,  and  that  there  would 
be  no  hesitation  or  hanging  back  on  their  part  when  the 
time  came  for  action. 

Immediately  pushing  for  the  disturbed  district,  the 
Regiment  first  encountered  the  mob  in  serious  force  in 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  "[53 

Thompson  street,  above  Prince,  where  they  were  makuig 
demonstrations  of  mischief  against  the  dwelling  of  the 
pastor  of  the  Spring  Street  Church,  which  they  had  evi- 
dently doomed  to  destruction;  but  before  they  were  stirred 
up  to  the  "sticking  point"  the  timely  approach  of  the 
Regiment  checked  their  intention.  The  mob  receded 
before  the  advance  of  the  troops,  and  the  Colonel  pressed 
on,  surrounded  by  an  immense  collection  of  excited  peo- 
ple, towards  the  Church,  which  was  understood  to  be  the 
especial  object  of  the  fury  of  the  mob.  All  the  streets 
in  the  vicinity,  for  several  blocks  around,  were  filled  with 
the  disorderly  crowd;  and  as  the  Regiment,  in  column, 
wheeled  from  McDougal  street  into  Spring,  and  also  at 
other  points,  the  men  were  assailed  with  stones  and  other 
missiles  thrown  from  the  windows,  and  from  the  crowd, 
by  which  many  of  them  were  hit,  and  several  prostrated, 
and  they  were  with  difficulty  restrained  from  opening  fire 
at  will  on  their  assailants.  A  striking  feature  was  the 
frequent  stream  of  sparks  struck  out  by  the  stones  glanc- 
ing on  the  bayonets  and  barrels  of  the  muskets. 

The  Regiment  pushed  firmly  through  the  dense  mass 

towards  the  Church,  the  men  using  their  bayonets  just 

enough  to  let  the  fellows  feel  "that  such  things  were." 

Near  the  Church  they  encountered  a  barricade  of  carts, 

barrels,  rubbish,  and  painters'  ladders,  piled  up  across  the 

street,  and  roped  and  chained  together  to  obstruct  the 

passage.     From  the  top  of  the  barricade  a  blatant  City 

20 


X54  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Hall  politician,  one  of  their  "friends,"  was  haranguing 
and  urging  on  the  mob;  he  was  summarily  jerked  from 
his  bad  eminence,  and,  with  a  dozen  or  so  of  the  rascals 
who  had  been  arrested  in  riotous  acts,  sent  to  the  rear 
under  guard. 

The  Church  had  been  attacked,  and  a  portion  of  the 
pews  and  furniture  thrown  into  the  street.  A  fellow  was 
in  the  steeple  ringing  the  bell,  to  attract  and  excite  the 
mob;  he  was  promptly  seized  and  placed  in  custody,  and 
the  Church  cleared  of  its  irreverent  and  turbulent  con- 
gregation. 

The  two  Aldermen  who  were  deputed  by  the  Mayor  to 
accompany  the  military  force,  and  direct,  under  their 
power  and  authority  as  magistrates,  the  action  of  the 
Regiment;  became  very  much  alarmed  at  the  magnitude 
and  temper  of  the  mob,  and  commenced  "palavering" 
with  them,  and  set  up  some  one  to  address  them,  and  tell 
them  to  disperse  and  go  home;  to  which  some  fellows  in 
the  mob  tauntingly  replied  that  they  might  go  home 
themselves,  that  there  were  not  enough  military  in  New 
York  to  drive  them  away.  The  magistrates  actually 
entered  into  negotiations  for  "an  armistice,"  and  agreed 
to  a  "cessation  of  hostilities  "  on  their  part,  upon  d^. prom- 
ise of  some  of  the  mob  to  then  disperse.  They  thereupon 
urged  Colonel  Stevens  to  ^' retreat,''^  and  return  to  the 
City  Hall,  asserting  that  the  mob  was  too  formidable  for 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  J  55 

his  "handful  of  men"  to  contend  with.  They  were  told 
by  the  Colonel,  in  his  usually  pleasant,  quiet,  and  decided 
manner,  that  there  was  no  "retreat"  in  the  case;  that  he 
was  there  with  his  Regiment  for  the  purpose  of  dispers- 
ing the  mob  and  quelling  the  riot,  and  he  could  not  retire 
until  that  was  done,  and  that  he  should  proceed  to  the 
City  Hall  only  through  that  crowd.  They  still  persisted  in 
directing  him  to  avoid  a  collision,  as  the  mob  was  strong 
enough  to  destroy  his  command.  He  moved  two  Compa- 
nies up  to  the  barricade  under  a  shower  of  stones  from 
behind  it  (whilst  his  other  Companies  stood  ready),  and 
broke  up  the  obstruction,  marching  through  the  debris, 
squeezing  his  way,  and  wheeled  into  Yarick  Street, 
leading  along  with  him  his  aldermanic  accompaniment. 
There,  meeting  Sheriff  Oliver  M.  Lownds  (who  had  for- 
merly been  a  Captain  in  the  Regiment),  who  had  with 
him  a  posse  of  police  (the  old-fashioned  "leather-head" 
watchmen),  and  being  abandoned  by  and  disencumbered 
of  the  timid  Aldermen,  who  had  disappeared  in  the  dark 
and  were  not  seen  again,  he  proposed  to  the  Sheriff  that 
they  should  return  together,  and  under  his  (the  Sheriff's) 
authority,  finish  up  the  job;  which  being  assented  to,  the 
Colonel  countermarched  his  Regiment,  and,  forming  col- 
umn of  grand  divisions  (his  Companies  being  small) 
closed  up  in  mass,  he  moved  back  against  the  mob.  Oc- 
cupying the  carriage-way  of  the  street,  flanked  on  each 
sidewalk  by  his  "leather  head"  auxiliaries,  with  their 
*^ locusts"  of  ancient  renown — well  known,  doubtless,  to 


156  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

many  of  the  scalawags  in  front  of  them — our  boys  using 
their  bayonets  where  necessary,  and  cheered  by  the  sound 
of  "watcheys"'  clubs,  vigorously  applied  in  a  "devil's 
"tattoo"  on  the  heads  and  shoulders  of  the  disorderly 
rout — (the  combined  action  effectually  driving  them  back) 
the  boys  charged  with  cheers  through  the  remains  of  the 
broken  up  barricade,  and  in  a  moment  were  "masters  of 
"the  situation,"  and  had  the  mob  at  their  command;  and, 
pushing  them  rapidly  back  to  Sullivan  street,  on  the  fur- 
ther side  of  which  the  Colonel  halted  his  leading  grand 
division,  holding  Spring  street  in  that  direction,  and 
wheeling  the  second  to  the  right,  across  Sullivan  street 
and  the  third  to  the  left,  facing  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  "  'bout  facing"  the  fourth  as  it  stood,  they  held  com- 
pletely and  securely  all  the  streets,  effectually  severing 
the  mob  into  four  fragments;  and  the  rascals,  realizing 
that  their  power  was  thoroughly  broken,  dispersed  in 
"devil  take  the  hindmost"  order;  and  peace  and  quiet 
seemed  almost  instantly  restored  in  that  section  of  the 
City. 

The  whole  performance  of  the  Regiment  was  admira- 
ble. The  men  were  assailed  with  stones  and  every  imag- 
inable offensive  missile,  and  some  of  them  even  spat  in  the 
face  by  the  vile  rabble.  A  number  of  them  were  struck 
and  more  or  less  bruised;  the  Sergeant-Major  was  felled 
to  the  ground  at  the  side  of  the  Colonel;  notwithstanding 
all  which,  they  maintained  the  order  and  steadiness  of 


EECOLLEOTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  l^J 

veterans,  with  a  forbearance  from  retaliation,  and  a  sub- 
ordination to  discipline,  truly  surprising,  and  reflecting  the 
highest  credit  on  the  commanding  officer,  and  all  engaged 
in  the  duty.  The  Colonel,  elated  that  he  had  accom- 
plished his  ends  without  resorting  to  the  deadly  use  of 
arms,  joyously  exclaimed,  *'A  victory,  without  firing  a 
''shot!" 

On  its  way  to  the  City  Hall  the  Regiment  made  a  de- 
tour through  Centre  street,  and,  "having  its  hand  in," 
dispersed,  in  short  order,  a  party  of  rioters  that  was  assail- 
ing a  colored  Church  (Saint  Philip's). 

The  men  were  dismissed,  in  the  Park,  at  daylight. 

Some  traces  of  the  turbulent  spirit  remaining,  the  Kegi- 
ment  was  put  on  duty  again  the  next  night — the  right 
wing  scattering  a  riotous  crowd  in  Chatham  Square,  that 
had  successfully  defied  one  of  the  other  Regiments;  and 
the  other  wing  performing  like  service  in  Hanover  Square, 
where  an  attack  was  made  on  the  very  valuable  store  of 
a  wealthy  and  prominent  Abolitionist.  Detachments 
were  sent  to  other  localities  to  put  things  to  rights  and 
keep  the  peace. 

The  authorities  evincing,  finally,  a  determination  (after 
being  shown  that  the  thing  could  be  done)  to  suppress  the 


]^58  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

disorderly  proceedings,  the  rioters  took  the  hint  and 
abstained  from  further  violence,  and  "order  reigned" 
once  more. 

The  praises  of  the  good  conduct  and  the  good  services 
of  the  Regiment,  especially  of  the  able  and  firm  action 
of  Colonel  Stevens,  were  in  all  men's  mouths  for  a  long 
time  afterwards. 

The  importance  of  the  organized  Militia  Regiments 
came  more  and  more  to  be  appreciated  by  the  thinking 
and  conservative  portion  of  the  citizens,  who  began  to 
realize  in  these  popular  outbreaks,  and  organized  and 
combined  disregard  of  law,  the  reality  of  an  element  of 
fearful  interest,  which  was  becoming  a  subject  of  much 
solicitude  for  the  future  peace  and  quiet  of  the  City. 
And  they  also,  in  the  same  connection,  had  been  led  to 
observe  the  action  and  deportment  of  the  Twenty-seventh 
Regiment,  and  also  had  scrutinized  its  composition  and 
materiel,  until  they  had  very  generally  come  to  view  it, 
too,  with  no  ordinary  interest,  as  their  principal  reliance 
for  security  in  times  of  difficulty  and  disorder  hereafter. 

His  Honor  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  the  Mayor  of  the 
City,  took  an  early  occasion  to  address  a  grave  paper  to 
General  Morton,  acknowledging  the  eminent  services  of 
the  militia  in  the  recent  outbreak,  remarking : 

It  will  be  a  source  of  confident  satisfaction  to  know  that,  whenever  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


159 


peaceful  energies  of  the  laws  are  insufficient  to  protect  the  rights  and 
property  of  the  citizen  from  the  effects  of  internal  commotion,  there  is, 
under  our  form  of  government^  a  power  adequate  to  every  emergency,  and 
one  so  conducted  that  its  existence  and  its  exercise  can  never  endanger 
the  liberties  of  the  people. 

Although  the  circumstances  which  marked  the  continued  outrages  on 
the  occasion  alluded  to  were  such  as  imperatively  required  of  the  magis- 
trates to  issue  their  instructions  for  an  effectual  use  of  the  deadly  weapons, 
yet  it  cannot  but  be  a  deeply  gratifying  reflection  that  the  service  required 
of  the  military  was  so  judiciously  performed  as  to  accomplish  its  object 
without  the  shedding  of  blood.  I  rejoice  that  the  determination  of  the 
magistrates  on  this  subject  became  thoroughly  known,  as  it  tended  to 
destroy  the  dangerous  delusion  which  prevailed  in  the  minds  of  many  per- 
sons, that  the  civil  authority  is  without  the  requisite  power  to  make  an 
effective  use  of  the  arms  of  the  Militia. 


After  referring  to  the  various  measures  that  had  been 
taken,  he  goes  on : 


The  National  Guard  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  removing  the  rioters 
from  a  section  of  the  City  where  the  most  outrages  had  been  committed, 
and  in  the  performance  of  this  service,  while  assailed  with  the  missiles  of 
the  mob,  evinced  a  forbearance  commendable  in  the  citizen,  united  with 
the  determination  which  belongs  to  the  character  of  the  soldier. 


The  Regiment  settled  down  quietly  to  its  routine  du- 
ties, all  the  available  time  of  its  members  being  devoted 
to  improvement  in  drill  and  martial  exercises. 

In  the  month  of  December  the  dwelling  of  Colonel 
Stevens,  in  Chatham  street,  was  burned  to  the  ground, 
with  most  of  its  contents,  among  which  were  the  Regi- 
mental Colors. 


■[  (JQ  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT. 

The  Colonel,  having  received  a  civil  appointment,  re- 
signed his  commission  on  30th  December,  and  retired 
from  military  life. 

The  most  flattering  tokens  of  the  respect  and  affection 
of  his  associates  of  all  grades  were  liberally  bestowed  on 
him.  On  his  promotion  to  the  field,  in  1827,  his  Com- 
pany, the  Sixth,  presented  him  a  beautiful  silver  pitcher; 
and  on  his  resignation,  in  1828,  the  Regiment  (officers 
and  men)  united  in  a  present  of  a  splendid  and  massive 
pair  of  pitchers.  The  officers  presented  him  a  compli- 
mentary sword  on  his  return  to  the  Regiment  in  1830; 
and,  on  his  final  retirement,  still  further  evidences  of  their 
flattering  appreciation. 


A  LEAP  FROM  THE  RECORD  OF  COMPANY  6,  NATIONAL  GUARD, 

ON  THE  OCCASION  OP  THE  RESIGNATION  OP  COLONEL  STEVENS. 

Colonel  Stevens  entered  the  military  service  of  the  State,  September 
1,  1814,  in  the  Company  commanded  by  Captain  George  H.  Stanton,  in 
the  Eleventh  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  A.,  then  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Cornelius  Harsen,  and  was  immediately  ordered  into  the  public 
service.  On  the  tenth  of  June,  1815  (after  the  war),  he  was  appointed  a 
First  Sergeant  in  the  Eighty  fifth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Edward  W.  Laight. 

In  1818  he  entered  Captain  Mann's  Company  in  the  Eleventh  Regiment 

of  N.  Y.  S.  Artillery,  then  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  George 

W.  Brown,  and  was  elected  a  Sergeant.     In  1820  he  was  elected  Second 

Lieutenant,  and  in  1821  First  Lieutenant.     The  charge  of  this  Company 

immediately  devolved  upon  him,  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  his 

Captain  from  the  City.    He  attained  the  rank  of  Captain,  March  16,  1822. 
********* 

There  is  no  exaggeration  in  the  assertion  that  no  officer  in  the  City  has 

commanded  with  as  much  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  service 

as  Colonel  Stevens ;  or  one  who  has  commanded,  for  such  a  length  of  time, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^g^ 

80  universally,  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  under  his  command,  as 
well  as  of  the  public  generally. 

In  the  affair  of  rescuing  the  character  of  the  Regiment,  in  the  year 
1827 — in  elevating  and  establishing  its  discipline  at  a  standard  far  above 
all  others  in  the  City — in  the  projecting,  arranging,  and  conducting  the 
several  encampments — and  in  every  act  of  his  command,  he  has  evinced 
talents  of  the  highest  order.  And  the  unostentatious  suavity  of  his  man- 
ners, the  conciliatory  course  in  all  the  jarring  and  discordant  circumstances 
that  have  occurred,  the  unwavering  rectitude  of  his  conduct  towards  the 
members  of  the  Regiment,  of  every  rank,  have  secured  him  a  hold  on  their 
affections  and  respect  that  will  be  as  enduring  as  life. 

January,  1835. 

21 


11. 


Oa  the  12th  January,  1835, 
The  Lieutenant-Colonel  was  elected  Colonel; 
The  Major  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel;  and 
Captain  Edward  Roome,  of  the  Fourth  Company,  elected 

Major. 

The  new  "field,"  directly  on  their  inauguration,  invited 
all  the  members  of  the  Regiment  to  meet  them  at  The 
Shakspeare,  on  Thursday  evening,  January  15th.  1835, 
on  ^^  business  of  importance.^'  There  was  a  large  attend- 
ance, when  a  proposition  was  presented  for  an  alteration 
and  improvement  in  the  uniform;  which  being  accompa- 
nied and  backed  up  by  a  liberal  provision  of  champagne, 
and  other  like  incentives  to  a  due  appreciation  of  the 
improvements  suggested,  the  proposed  amendments  were 
agreed  to  with  great  enthusiasm. 


After  being  formally  submitted  to  the  Companies,  and 
to  the  Board  of  Officers, 


1^54  recollections  of  the  seventh  regiment. 

The  New  Bill  of  Dress 
was  adopted,   and  the   alterations  carried  into  effect  in 
time  for  the  first  parades  in  the  spring. 

The  full  uniform  coat,  with  the  trimmings  as  adopted 
then,  has  come  down  to  the  present  day  (1864),  through 
a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years.  The  principal  new  fea- 
tures of  the  coat  were  the  narrow,  small  skirt;  the  gold 
lace,  as  at  present,  on  the  skirt,  cuffs,  and  collar;  the  three 
rows  of  buttons,  with  the  braid  in  front,  and  the  worsted 
epaulettes  with  white  fringe  (shorter  then  than  now), 
instead  of  the  previous  shoulder-cap  and  black  tuft.  The 
new  cap  was  of  black  glazed  leather,  slightly  conical 
(Polish),  with  a  brass  visor  projecting  square  out,  brass 
scales,  and  on  the  front  of  the  cap  the  cipher  of  the 
Corps  (N.  G-.)  in  brass  (which,  by  the  by,  should  have 
been  always  retained). 

The  gray  fatigue  jacket  and  cap  (Kapi)  are  of  more 
recent  adoption. 

The  reputation  and  eclat  the  Regiment  had  acquired 
during  the  preceding  year  had  produced  a  very  favorable 
impression  upon  the  community  generally,  and  the  mis- 
fortune of  losing  their  beautiful  and  highly-prized  Colors 
excited  a  general  feeling  of  sympathy. 

And  in  view  of  the  essential  services  the  Regiment  had 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  J  g5 

rendered  the  municipal  authorities,  the  subject  of  their 
calamity  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  referred  to  a  Special  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Aldermen,  which,  on  the  second  of  February 
(1835),  made  a  report,  from  which  we  extract : 


*  *  *  It  appears  that  the  Stand  of  Colors  belonging  to  the 
Twenty-seventh  Regiment  was  destroyed  by  the  late  fire  in  Chatham 
street,  at  the  quarters  of  Colonel  Linus  W.  Stevens.  *  *  *  Your 
Committee  are  of  opinion  that  the  soldier-like  appearance  of  said  Regi- 
ment, and  the  patriotic  services  rendered  to  the  City  authorities  on  various 
occasions,  justly  entitle  them  to  the  respect  of  the  Common  Council, 
*     *     *     and  therefore  offer  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  the  Corporation  present  a  Stand  of  Colors  to  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Regiment  of  New  York  State  Artillery,  and  that  the  sum  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  appropriated  to  pay 
for  the  same. 


Which  was  adopted  by  the  Boards,  and 

Approved  hy  the  Mayor,  February  6th,  1835. 

The  money,  with  the  amount  m  addition  contributed 
by  the  members  of  the  Regiment,  was  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Board  of  Officers,  and  the  field  officers 
were  appointed  a  Committee  to  procure  the  Colors. 

To  AsHER  Taylor,  then  a  veteran  private  in  the  ranks 
of  Company  6,  who  had  designed  the  former  Colors,  was 
entrusted  the  preparation  of  the  designs  and  drawings, 
and  the  supervision  of  the  embroidering  of  the  new 
Standards. 


IQQ  EECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE   SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  woiji  was  put  in  hand,  in  the  estabUshment  of 
M.  Paul  T.  Garishe,  in  Broadway,  next  below  the  New 
York  Hospital,  and  pushed  forward  so  as  to  be  com- 
pleted in  time  for  the  first  parade  in  the  spring. 

The  COLORS  consisted  of 

A  REGIMENTAL   STANDARD 

of  Crimson  Silk,  studded  with  twenty-four  Stars,*  and 
with  fringe  of  gold.  In  the  center,  on  an  ermine  mantle, 
turned  up  blue,  with  gold  fringe,  and  borne  on  lances,  A 
Shield,  bearing  the  Arms  of  the  National  Guard,  as 
follows  : — Quarterly  ; — the  First  Grand  Quarter,  paly  of 
thirteen,  gules  et  argent;  on  a  Chief,  azure,  twenty-four 
Stars  of  the  second; — the  Arms  of  the  United  States  of 
America : — the  Second  Grand  Quarter,  a  Sun  rising  from 
behind  Mountains,  with  a  Sea  in  the  foreground,  all 
proper; — the  Arms  of  the  State  of  New  York: — the 
Third  Grand  Quarter,  argent,  the  Sails  of  a  Windmill,  in 
saltire,  between  two  barrels  in  fess,  and  two  beavers,  in 
pale,  all  proper;  the  Arms  of  the  City  of  New  York : — 
the  Fourth  Grand  Quarter,  gules.  Two  Cannons,  crossed, 
saltire-wise  ;  in  Chief,  a  Blazing  Bomb,  all  or; — the  Insig- 
nia of  Artillery : — an  Inescutcheon  or,  bearing  the  Cipher 
of  the  Corps  (N.  G.)  sable. 

Crest,-:-AN  AMERICAN  EAGLE,  displayed,  prop* 
er : — 

*  The  nnmber  of  the  Statea  of  the  Union  at  that  time. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  IQ^J 

Motto,— "PRO  PATRIA  ET  GLORIA,"  on  a  Gold 
Ribbon  beneath  the  mantle  : — *     (See  Frontispiece.) 

Staff, — Gilt,  surmounted  by  a  Gilt  Eagle,  with  wings 
extended  upwards; — trimmed  with  a  rich  Scarf  of  red 
and  Gold,  and  massive  gold  tassels. 

A  STATE  STANDARD,  of  dark  blue  Silk,  with  gold 
Stars,  and  fringe,  and  beariijg  on  an  Ermine  Mantle, 
turned  up  red.  The  Arms  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
with  the  Crest,  and  Motto,  "Excelsior:"  the  flag  borne 
on  a  richly  gilt  lance,  with  scarf  and  tassels. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  Colors,  the  Regiment 
paraded  in  the  new  uniforms  on  the  first  day  of  Jurie, 
1835,  for  their  reception.  Line  was  formed  in  front  of 
the  City  Hall,  and  his  Excellency  Governor  Marcy,  who 
had  been  invited  to  participate  in  the  ceremonies,  made 
the  presentation. 

The  following  account  is  clipped  from  a  newspaper  of 
the  day : 


Presentation  of  Colors  by  the  Governor. — In  pursuance  of  public 
notice,  the  tasteful  and  splendid  Stand  of  Colors  voted  by  the  Corporation 


*  This  is  a  technical  description  and  definition  of  the  "  Arms  op  the  National 
"Guard,"  as  finally  established  in  1835,  and  borne  on  the  Colors  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  and  should  be  adhered  to  in  every  minutiae  by  all  the  Companies  and  mem* 
bors  of  the  Corps, 


168  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REaiMENT. 

of  the  City  to  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  "National  Guard,"  First 
Division  of  Artillery,  was  presented  to  them  on  Monday  by  the  Governor 
of  the  State. 

The  weather  was  auspicious,  and  everything  contributed  to  render  the 
ceremony  truly  imposing.  A  large  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
present,  besides  the  officers  of  the  City  under  Major-General  Morton,  the 
officers  of  the  United  States  Army  and  Navy,  &c. 

The  Regiment  in  the  new  uniforms  looked  extremely  well,  and  executed 
the  various  manoeuvers  in  a  soldier -like  manner. 

A  piece  of  sacred  music  composed  for  the  occasion,  entitled  "  Consecra- 
"tion  of  the  Banner,"  was  performed  by  the  band  before  the  Colors  were 
received  in  line ;  and  when  the  banners  were  crossed,  drooping,  in  front  of 
the  Regiment,  and  every  man  uncovered,  the  solemn  devotional  tones  of 
the  music  gave  to  the  scene  a  character  of  deep  and  pervading  interest. 

ADDRESS  OF  HIS  EXCELLENCY  aOVERNOR  MARCT. 

Officers  and  Soldiers  of  the  National  Guard  : — It  gives  me  sin- 
cere pleasure  to  present  to  you,  at  the  request  of  the  Common  Council, 
and  in  their  behalf,  these  Standards,  as  the  testimonial  of  the  high  consid-  > 
eration  in  which  they,  and  the  entire  body  of  their  constituents,  regard  you 
in  your  military  character. 

Distinguished  as  this  City  is  for  its  military  spirit ;  for  its  many  excel- 
lent and  well  disciplined  Militia  Corps ;  for  the  alacrity  with  which  they 
perform  the  duties  of  citizen -soldiers ;  and  for  the  praiseworthy  example 
they  exhibit  to  the  Militia  of  the  whole  State,  the  very  favorable  notice 
which  the  Common  Council  have  taken  of  this  particular  Corps  cannot  be 
otherwise  regarded  than  as  a  gratifying  proof  of  meritorious  conduct,  and 
a  substantial  reward  for  the  many  efforts  you  have  made  to  sustain  and 
exalt  the  character  of  our  Militia  system. 

In  quiet  times,  when  no  dangers  threaten  us  from  abroad  and  a  cheerful 
obedience  is  yielded  to  the  laws,  the  great  importance  of  the  Militia  sys- 
tem is  not  fully  realized,  and  it  is  liable  to  fall  into  disrepute.  Its  burden 
is  then  felt,  and  its  usefulness  is  not  perceived ;  but  tranquil  security  is 
not  the  permanent  condition  of  any  nation.  Some  events  among  us  during 
the  last  year  have  shown  what  the  history  of  all  governments  share,  that 
the  civil  authority  must  in  some  emergencies  rely  on  military  force  for  aid 
in  preserving  public  tranquillity,  and  securing  the  due  execution  of  the  laws. 
The  alacrity  with  which  you  obeyed  the  call  of  the  civil  magistrates  in  a 
late  alarming  crisis,  and  the  prompt  and  efficient  assistance  you  gave  them 
in  protecting  the  lives  and  property  of  your  fellow-citizens,  and  in  preserv- 
ing the  public  peace,  earned  for  you  the  favorable  regard  of  the  municipal 
authorities  of  this  City,  and  justify  the  appropriate  testimonial  of  their  ap- 
probation now  bestowed  on  you. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^gg 

In  the  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  Common  Council,  I  commit  to  you 
these  Standards,  in  the  full  confidence  that  they  will  be  gallantly  home 
wherever  duty  requires.  If,  in  the  course  of  events,  it  should  be  necessary 
to  call  on  the  military  force  to  preserve  the  public  peace,  or  to  vindicate 
our  rights  or  honor,  I  doubt  not  the  "National  Guard"  will  be  found 
among  the  first  to  obey  such  a  call,  and,  if  the  exigency  of  the  service 
require  it,  to  peril  their  lives  in  their  country's  cause. 


These  are  the  present 

COLORS    OF    THE    NATIONAL    GUARD, 

"The  proud  banners  that  with  prayer 
Had  been  consecrated  there." 
22 


170  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 


FKAGMENT. 

H.  W.  L. 
******* 

Take  thy  Banner  I — May  it  wave 
Proudly  o'er  the  good  and  brave. 


Take  thy  Banner  I — And  beneath 
The  war-cloud's  encircling  wreath, 
Guard  it — 'till  our  homes  are  free ; 
Guard  it — God  will  prosper  thee  I 
In  the  dark  and  trying  hour, 
In  the  breaking  forth  of  power, 
In  the  rush  of  steeds  and  men, 
His  right  hand  will  shield  thee  then. 

Take  thy  Banner! — And  when  night 

Closes  round  the  ghastly  fight. 

If  the  vanquished  warrior  bow, 

Spare  him   *        *        *        * 

*     *    he  our  love  hath  shared; 

Spare  him — ^as  thou  would'st  be  spared ! 

Take  thy  Banner  I — And  if  e'er 
Thou  should'st  press  the  soldier's  bier, 
And  the  muffled  drum  should  beat 
To  the  tread  of  mournful  feet, 
Then  its  gorgeous  folds  shall  be 
Martial  cloak  and  shroud  for  thee. 


XII. 

The  new  uniforms  gave  very  general  satisfaction,  and 
attracted  to  the  Regiment  the  admiration  of  all  who  took 
an  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the  Volunteer  Corps  of 
the  City.  A  fresh  impulse  was  given  to  the  spirit  of  im- 
provement, and  a  determination  manifested  to  a  still 
further  elevation  of  the  prestige  of  the  Regiment;  and,  as 
a  stimulant  to  exertions  in  that  direction  on  the  part  of 
the  members,  and  as  a  reward  to  those  who  might  render 
.eminent  services  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  Corps, 
the  Board  of  Officers  instituted  an  "Order  of  Merit," 
the  distinguishing  badge  of  which  (a  ^' Cross  of  Honor") 
was  to  be  conferred  on,  and  worn  by,  those  who  should 
"excel  in  the  discharge  of  the  various  duties  of  the 
"service." 


It  was  directed  in  Regimental  Orders,  September  3, 
1835,  that  members  of  the  Order  of  Merit,  wearing  the 
Cross,  should  receive  from  sentinels  and  others  the  honors 
and  salutations  as  to  commissioned  officers. 


172  EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REaiMENT. 

Amongst  those  designated  to  be  distinguished  with  the 
Cross  of  the  Order  was  "the  Commandant  who  should 
"present  the  best  drilled  Company  for  inspection,"  and, 
"in  each  Company,  to  the  member  who  should  have 
"recruited  the  greatest  number  during  the  year,"  and 
also  for  other  specified  good  services.  The  number  to  be 
conferred  was  not  to  exceed  twelve  each  year. 

The  first  distribution  of  the  crosses  was  to  be  in  Octo- 
ber. A  spirit  of  emulation  was  aroused  amongst  the 
members  of  the  several  Companies  to  win  the  distinction 
of  the  Cross  for  recruiting;  and  the  several  Captains  put 
their  Companies  in  special  training  for  the  Cross  for  supe- 
rior discipline. 

On  the  26th  October,  the  trial  for  superiority  in  drill 
was  held  in  the  Arsenal  yard. 

Brigadier-General  Hunt,  of  the  First  Brigade  N.  Y. 

S.  Artillery, 
Colonel  KiERSTED,  of  the  Seventy-fifth  Regiment  N.     • 

Y.  S.  Infantry,  and 
Lieutenant  Drum,  U.  S.  Army, 
were  appointed  judges.    They  awarded  the  palm  of  supe- 
riority to  the  Seventh  Company,  Captain  John  T.  Cairns. 

And  Regimental  Orders  of  November  20th,  1835,  an- 
nounced the  award  of  the  first  ten  Crosses  of  the  Order 
of  Merit,  as  follows  •  to 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  l*J^ 

I.  Captain  Cairns,  of  the  Seventh  Company,  for  the 
best  drilled  Company; 

II.  Lieutenant-Commander  Shumway,  Eighth  Com- 
pany, for  the  Company  receiving  the  greatest 
number  of  recruits. 

And  for  the  greatest  number  recruited  by  members — 

III.  In  the  First  Company,  to  Abiel  Miles; 

IV.  In  the  Second  Company,  to  Clark  Yreeland; 
Y.  In  the  Third  Company,  to  James  Scribner; 
YI.  In  the  Fourth  Company,  to  James  Roome; 
YII.  In  the  Fifth  Company,  to  Edward  Shortill; 
YIII.  In  Company  6,  to  Asher  Taylor; 

IX.  In  the  Seventh  Company,  to  Charles  W. 
Yultee; 

X.  In  the  Eighth  Company,  to  Henry  J.  Beers. 

And  subsequently,  by  the  "Order  of  Merit,"  to  the 
"two  members  of  the  Regiment  most  distinguished  by 
"their  knowledge  of  the  'art  of  war,'  and  for  zeal  and 
"activity  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  service :" 

XI.  To  Thomas  M.  Adriance,  of  Company  6,  for- 
merly of  the  Fourth; 

XII.  To  Robert  E.  Launitz,  of  the  Eighth  Com- 
pany. 

Meetings  of  the  members  of  the  Order  of  Merit  were 
held,  and  Captain  Cairns  was  elected  Commander,  and 
measures  inaugurated  for  carrying  out  the  organization 
and  objects  of  the  institution. 


X74  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  Great  Fire,  on  the  night  of  the  16th  and  morning 
of  the  17th  December,  1835,  which  destroyed  some 
twenty  odd  miUions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property,  pre- 
sented an  opportunity  for  the  Corps  to  render  service  to 
the  public  in  another  line. 

The  great  extent  of  the  "burnt  district,"  and  the  im- 
mense amount  of  valuable  goods  and  property  of  various 
kinds  which  remained  amongst  and  about  the  ruins, 
.exposed  to  depredations,  required  the  exercise  of  energies 
beyond  the  ordinary  civil  powers,  and  the  Mayor  accepted 
the  tender  of  the  service  of  the  Regiment  for  guard  duty 
in  the  emergency. 

A  line  of  sentinels  was  formed  from  the  foot  of  "Wall 
street,  up  Wall,  and  to  the  foot  of  Broad  street,  outside 
of  the  limits  of  the  devastated  district,  rendering  entire 
protection  to  the  exposed  property  during  the  night  of 
their  service.  The  narrator  "recollects"  well  his  two 
"turns"  on  post  during  the  night,  at  the  corner  of  the 
ruins  of  the  old  Merchants'  Exchange,  at  Hanover  street, 
in  an  exceedingly  cold  and  driving  storm  of  sleet  and  rain, 
and  the  gloomy  and  dreadful  appearance  of  the  smol- 
dering ruins,  extended  over  a  space  of  upwards  of  fifty 
acres,  broken  here  and  there  by  a  fitful  flame  from  a  half- 
smothered  fire.  He  "  recollects  "  as  well,  too,  the  "  relief" 
of  toasting  Ms  toes  in  the  "off"  intervals  at  the  glowing 
fire,  and  refreshing  with   the  genial  hospitality  of  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEYENTH  REGIMENT.  ^75 

noted  "Auction  Hotel,"  of  George  "W.  Brown,  in  Water 
street,  which  was  the  head-quarters  of  one  wing  of  the 
Regiment  for  the  occasion. 

His  Honor  the  Mayor  of  the  City  (Cornelius  W.  Law- 
rence, Esq.)  addressed  an  elaborate  communication  to 
General  Morton,  reciting  the  services  rendered,  and  ex- 
pressing "the  thanks  of  the  public  authorities,  as  well  as 
"of  the  citizens  generally,  for  the  zeal  and  devotion 
"  exhibited  in  the  discharge  of  the  arduous  and  unpleasant 
"duty." 

The  General,  in  promulgating  to  his  command  the 
letter  of  the  Mayor,  remarks:  "The  commendation 
"bestowed  has  been,  the  General  is  persuaded,  well  mer- 
"ited.  The  soldierly  and  discreet  conduct  of  the  troops 
"  who  formed  the  cordon  along  the  line  of  desolation 
"  caused  by  the  late  fire,  is  spoken  of,  on  all  occasions,  in 
"terms  of  the  highest  praise."  And  adds:  "The  Corps 
"will  also,  by  this  late  event,  learn  with  satisfaction  that 
"there  are  offices  of  protection  and  kindness  which  their 
"association,  as  citizen  soldiers,  will  enable  them  to  ren- 
"  der  the  community." 

In  the  month  of  February,  1836,  the  peace  of  the 
loweiv  part  of  the  City  was  disturbed  by  a  "strike"  among 
the  stevedores  and  other  "'long  shore"  workmen.  After 
parading  the  streets  and  along  the  docks  for  several  days, 


176  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

their  demonstrations  assumed  a  riotous  aspect,  eliciting 
vigorous  action  on  the  part  of  the  civil  authorities.  The 
Mayor  called  on  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  which 
promptly  paraded,  at  eight  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the 
24th  February,  and  was  quartered  in  the  large  court- 
rooms of  the  City  Hall,  and  furnished  with  fresh  ammu- 
nition, and  held  ready  for  action;  which  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  rioters,  with  the  assurance  that  the 
Mayor  was  determined  that  there  should  be  no  further 
disturbance,  order  was  restored,  and  the  Regiment  dis- 
missed in  the  evening. 

These  frequent,  systematic,  and  defiant  outbreaks 
against  law  and  order  set  the  "big  wigs "  to  thinking  that 
it  was  necessary  to  make  some  organized  preparation  for 
them.  Attention  wa^,  of  course,  directed  to  the  National 
Guard,  and  after  consulting  all  around,  the  arrangement 
announced  in  the  following  Order  was  arrived  at : 


TWENTY-SEVENTH  REQIMENT  N.  T.  STATE  ARTILLERY. 
STANDING  REGIMENTAL  ORDERS. 

New  York,  February  24th,  1836. 

His  Honor,  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  having  expressed  a  wish  that  some 
military  corps  should  be  held  ready  at  any  moment  to  aid  the  civil  author- 
ities, the  Commandant  has  tendered  the  services  of  this  Regiment,  and 
directs  the  members  to  preserve,  in  good  order,  their  ball  cartridges,  and 
to  assemble  in  full  uniform  (gray  pantaloons)  at  the  Park,  immediately  on 
the  exhibition  of  the  private  signals. 

The  signals  will  be  displayed  at  the  Bleecker  Street  House,  Riley's 
Fifth  Ward  Hotel,  Niblo's  GTarden,  Bowery  Theatre,  Washington  Hotel, 
Merchants'  Exchange,  Holt's  Hotel,  and  Bradley's  Seventh  Ward  Hotel. 


REOOLLECTIOXS  OF  THE  SETEN'TFT  REGnfRNT.  I'J'J 

The  prompt  and  soldier-like  manner  in  which  the  Regi- 
ment had  responded  to  the  call  of  the  magistrates,  and 
the  discreet,  energetic  and  satisfactory  manner  in  which 
the  required  duties  were  performed,  on  the  various  occa- 
sions that  it  had  been  "out,"  had  not  escaped  the  notice 
of  the  citizens,  which  the  following  scrap  from  a  daily 
paper  of  the  time  will  show : 

The  National  Guards. — The  alacrity  with  which  that  fine  Regiment, 
the  National  Guards  (the  Twenty-seventh),  turned  out  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  late  stevedore  rebellion,  deserves  much  praise.  This  Regiment  is 
six  hundred  strong,  composed  entirely  of  the  respectable  young  men  of 
the  City,  full  of  spirit,  and  in  higher  discipline,  it  is  admitted,  than  any 
other  volunteer  uniform  corps  of  Militia  in  the  Union.  Their  dress  is 
gray,  and  very  neat  and  soldier-like.  They  are  quite  experienced  in  the 
matter  of  riots.  It  was  they  who  did  such  efficient  duty  at  the  "affair  of 
**the  barricades"  (carts)  at  Ludlow's  Church,  during  the  Abolition  riots, 
two  years  since.  They  may  be  considered  the  most  efficient  police  we 
have,  and  we  believe  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  look  upon  them  as 
such. 

To  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  Corps  in  the  line  of 
"street  service,"  the  Commander-in-Chief,  a  short  time 
afterwards,  assigned  to  it  a  Battery  of  Artillery,  of  two 
howitzers  and  a  field-piece. 

The  trial  this  year  (1836)  for  superiority  in  drill  was 
early  appointed  to  be  held  in  the  month  of  September. 
An  entire  day  was  to  be  devoted  to  it,  and  all  the  Com- 
panies were  to  be  brought  under  examination.  They 
accordingly  entered  upon  a  course  of  extra  drill,  in  pre- 
paration for  the  ordeal — most  of  them  more  from  a  desire 

not  to  be  lowest  in  the  scale  of  proficiency  than  any  ex- 

23 


■[78  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

pectation  of  being  highest.  Some  two  or  three  of  the 
Companies,  however,  were  put  under  training  as  severe 
and  exacting,  ahuost,  as  that  to  which  the  prize-fighter 
or  the  race-horse  is  subjected,  in  order  to  develop  their 
utmost  capabihties. 

The  Seventh  Company  proudly  bore  its  laurels,  won 
the  year  before,  and  was  eager  to  vindicate  its  envied 
position  as  first  in  the  scale  of  excellence.  But  it  was 
soon  perceived  that  they  were  to  be  hard  pressed  by  the 
MgJith,  whose  talented  and  ambitious  young  commander 
thought  he  saw  the  coveted  distinction  within  reach  of 
his  efforts. 

The  standard  system  of  drill  at  that  time  was  accord- 
ing to  "Scott's  Tactics;"  and  the  officers  of  the  Regi- 
ment, one  and  all,  prided  themselves  upon  their  thor- 
ough acquaintance  with  it,  and  strict  adherence  to  its 
most  minute  details.  A  deviation  from  "  ^Ae  Boole,'''' 
either  in  a  word  of  command  or  a  movement,  would  be 
detected  by  every  officer  and  derided  by  three-quarters 
of  the  rank  and  file,  so  thoroughly  was  it  studied  and 
understood  throughout  the  Corps.  Captain  Cairns,  of 
the  Seventh  Company,  was  an  especial  adept  in,  and 
devotee  of,  all  the  intricacies  and  mysteries  of  "the 
"Book;"  in  fact,  he  subsequently  prepared  and  pub- 
lished a  work  on  the  Elementary  Instruction  of  Kecruite, 
based  mainly  on  "the  Book"  of  General  Scott. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^79 

The  12th  of  September  was  the  day  appointed  for  the 
"trial  games."  The  Companies  were  formed  in  the  Ar- 
senal yard,  at  successive  hours,  and  placed  in  charge  of 
the  judges;  and  each  Captain  put  his  Company  through 
the  School  of  the  Soldier,  and  of  the  Company,  and  such 
marchings  and  evolutions  as  he  thought  proper,  or  were 
suggested  or  called  for  by  the  judges. 

The  actual  contest  for  ultimate  superiority  had  settled 
down  to  the  trial  of  the  Seventh  and  Eighth;  although 
all  the  Companies  exhibited  a  proficiency  but  rarely 
equaled,  and  which,  under  any  other  circumstances, 
would  have  astonished  the  lookers-on  and  elicited  the 
highest  commendation. 

The  Seventh  was  put  on  exhibition  first  of  the  two;  and 
WiQ  prestige  of  its  former  success,  with  the  high  reputation 
of  its  Commander  as  a  disciplinarian  and  tactician,  had 
inspired  the  members  and  the  numerous  friends  of  the 
Company  with  the  utmost  confidence  in  its  again  being 
victorious;  but  Captain  Cairns  had  overdone  the  mat- 
ter— had  drilled  his  men  to  so  fine  a  point  that  it  was 
really  painful  to  witness;  every  motion  so  slowly  and 
deliberately  performed — so  automatic,  so  elaborated  in 
all  the  details — that  it  appeared  like  hesitation  on  the 
part  of  the  men — like  pausing  to  think,  before  they 
stirred — ^that  it  forcibly  struck  the  observers  as  entirely 
inefficient  for  any  practical  service,  and  ridiculous  as  an 


180  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE   SEVENTH   REGIMENT. 

exhibition  of  perfection  in  usefulness.  Whilst  the  drill 
of  the  Eighth  was  equally  exact  and  perfect  in  the  per- 
formance, and  with  the  brusque,  animated  and  pointed 
manner  for  which  the  Regiment,  and  that  Company  in 
particular,  has  ever  since  been  distinguished;  in  the  man- 
ual of  arms  and  in  the  marchings,  the  perfection  of  Cap- 
tain Shumway's  training  was  marked  and  unmistakable. 
The  palm  of  superiority  was  unanimously  accorded  to  the 
Eighth  Company,  which  came  out  of  the  trying  ordeal 
entirely  ^^  sans  reproche,"  as  its  young  Commander  had 
entered  the  lists  '^  sans  2>eur."  The  result  was,  of  course, 
highly  gratifying  to  the  members  and  to  the  numerous 
friends  of  the  Eighth,  and  especially  so  to  its  gallant 
young  Commander,  Captain  Shumway,  being  the  first  step 
forward  in  the  brilliant  career  in  which  he  led  his  glorious 
Eighth  Company,  through  a  period  of  upwards  of  seven 
and  twenty  years;  ever  maintaining  its  proficiency  in  drill 
and  discipline  at  the  highest  degree  of  perfection;  and  its 
personnel  comprising  gentlemen  eminent  for  character, 
ability  and  social  position.  It  was  conceded  for  many 
years  to  be  the  model  Company  in  the  City.  Captain 
Shumway  was  also  distinguished,  by  the  Grovernor  of  the 
State,  with  the  brevet  rank  of  Colonel,  having  steadfastly 
and  persistently  resisted  the  frequent  and  pressing  efforts 
of  his  brother-officers  in  the  Regimental  Board  to  promote 
him  to  the  "field;"  his  attachment  to  his  command  and  its 
personnel,  and  theirs  to  him,  predominating  over  all  the 
promptings  of  ambition  or  allurements  of  advancement. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ]^gj 

To  such  an  intensity  had  the  excitement  of  emulation 
been  carried  that  the  disappointment  and  chagrin  of  the 
defeat  was  overwhelming  to  Captain  Cairns  and  his 
Company.  He  immediately  left  the  Regiment,  with  the 
greater  part  of  his  men;  and  afterwards  organized  them 
into  a  new  Company,  under  the  name  of  "Independence 
"  Guard  " — attaching  it  as  a  flank  Company  to  one  of  the 
Infantry  Regiments, — and  maintained  for  it,  for  several 
years,  a  very  respectable  position,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
military  public; — in  fact,  it  could  not  well  have  been 
otherwise,  from  his  high  character  as  an  enthusiastic  drill 
officer,  and  the  very  high  state  of  discipline  his  Company 
had  attained  before  it  left  the  National  Guard. 

The  Seventh  Company  was  resuscitated  under  Captain 
Bremner. 

The  "Order  of  Merit,"  that  had  been  the  primary 
exciting  cause  of  the  contention,  and  which  but  a  year 
before  had  opened  up  such  a  brilliant  field  for  ambition, 
sank  under  the  excitement — disappeared — ^^  and  was  never 
^^  heard  of  more/" 

The  venerable  Major-General  Jacob  Morton  died  (of 
apoplexy)  on  the  fourth  of  December,  1836,  upwards  of 
eighty  years  of  age.  He  was  buried  with  the  highest 
military  honors,  in  the  performance  of  which  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Regiment  bore  a  prominent  part. 


132      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT. 

General  Morton  had  ever  been,  from  his  early  man- 
hood, conspicuous  for  his  ardent  devotion  to  the  military 
service  of  the  State,  and  for  the  marked  ability  that  had 
generally  characterized  the  performance  of  the  duties  of 
his  various  positions.  He  was  a  man  of  cultivated  mind, 
and  refined  and  gentlemanly  manners,  and  held  an  ele- 
vated social  rank; — educated  for  the  bar,  but  had  been, 
nearly  all  his  life,  in  some  public  employment.  For  almost 
thirty  years  he  was  Clerk  of  the  Common  Council,  which 
position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


XIII. 

The  veteran  narrator's  "recollections"  of  the  career 
of  the  Regiment  after  this  period  are  somewhat  of  the 
character  of  poor  Cassio's  on  one  occasion  (but  not,  how- 
beit,  from  the  same  cause);  he  "remembers  a  mass  of 
"things,  but  nothing  distinctly."  He  therefore  abandons 
all  regularity  of  narrative,  and  can  only  refer  to  his  recol- 
lections of  a  few  incidents. 


The  Flour  Riots,  in  the  early  part  of  1837 — as  the  sack- 
ing of  a  few  flour  stores,  and  the  destruction  of  a  large 
portion  of  their  contents  because  flour  was  scarce  and 
dear,  was  called — and  the  threatening  of  Wall  street  by 
the  mob,  and  to  ''go  thrmigh^^  the  banks,  when  they  sus- 
pended specie  payments  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year, 
because  dollars  were  scarce  with  them  and  hard  to  get, 
called  the  Regiment  several  times  to  the  front;  on  the 
first  occasion  to  restore  order,  and  on  the  latter  ones  to 
maintain  it. 


134  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

The  halting  and   "piling  arms"  for  a   few   hours    in 
front  of  the  Merchants'   Exchange    afforded    an    oppor- 
tunity to  the  grave  and  solid  men  of  that  region,  such 
as  but  few  of  them  had  ever  had  before,  to  observe  and 
scrutinize  the  character  and   deportment  of  the  person- 
nel of  the  Regiment;  and  realizing  by  the  events  pass- 
ing around  them,  as  they  had  never  done  before,  how 
much  their  future  safety,  and  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the 
City,  and  the  protection  and  security  of  their  property 
from  riot  and  pillage,  depended  on  the  reliable  character 
of  its  members  and  the  efiBciency  of  its  organization;  all 
of  which  made  a  deep   and  lasting  impression  on  their 
minds,  and   secured   their   favorable   consideration  ever 
after;  which  has  been  strikingly  manifested  in  various 
ways,  especially  in  their  encouragement  of  their  sons  and 
clerks  to  join  its  ranks.     Among  the  veterans  and  passed 
members  of  the  Regiment,  at  this  time,   are  numbered 
very  many  gentlemen  of  the  highest  business  and  social 
positions,  who,  in  their  young  days,  were  attracted  to  its 
ranks  by  the  influence  upon  the  public  mind  of  the  char- 
acter and  reputation  gained- for  the  Corps  in  those  days 
of  riot,  excitement  and  peril. 


It  is  estimated  that  there  are  more  than  ten  thousand  men  who  have 
served  in  the  Eegiment  since  its  formation,  and  who  are  met'  with,  not 
only  everywhere  in  our  own  country,  but  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe, 
and  in  all  the  various  walks  and  avocations  of  life  ;  not  a  few  of  them  dis- 
tinguished by  military,  civic,  social  and  mercantile  eminence;  gnd  many 
occupying  with  credit  high  positions  of  trust  and  honor,  with  reputations 
and  business  habits  founded,  unquestionably,  in  a  great  measure  on  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ]^g5 

early  training  received  under  the  "Colors  of  the  National  Guard,"  for  the 
strict  order  and  rigid  discipline  they  were  there  subjected  to,  requiring  and 
habituating  them  to  stand  up  firmly  and  squarely  on  both  feet,  and  to  bear 
themselves  uprightly,  with  head  erect,  and  looking  steadily  to  the  front 
prepared  to  move  to  any  point,  and  to  execute  promptly,  with  confidence 
and  self-reliance,  whatever  duty  any  exigency  might  require,  it  is  asserted 
by  many  now  advanced  in  years,  have  exerted  a  material  influence  in 
forming  their  business  habits  and  characters;  and  they  delight  to  avow  the 
belief  that  much  of  their  success  in  after  life  is  attributable  to  the  habits 
of  order  and  promptitude  they  thus  in  early  life  acquired  in  serving  under 
"  The  Colors  of  the  National  Guard;"  and  the  sentiment  of  the  Motto  then 
impressed  on  their  minds  has  been  largely  the  ruling  principle  of  their 
whole  lives — 

"  Pko  Patria  et  Gloria." 

— Notes  on  the  Colors. 


And  when  the  day  of  bitter  trial  came,  the  Motto  of  the 
Corps  was  truly  the  ruling  principle  of  its  members. 
They  all  stepped  to  the  front,  as  one  man — Pro  Patria  et 
Gloria ;  and  in  the  shadow  of  the  Capitol  of  the  nation, 
in  the  presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  under  the  sacred  "Banner  of  the  National  Guard," 
and  the  august  ensign  of  the  nation,  held  up  their  right 
hands  to  heaven  and  swore  fealty  to  the  National  Govern- 
ment, in  the  face  of  all  its  perils.  "We  were  thrilled," 
says  Winthrop*  "  and  solemnized  by  the  stately  ceremony 
"of  the  oath."  "Upon  the  minds  of  those  who  wit- 
"nessed,  or  participated,  on  that  bright  spring  afternoon," 
says  Colonel  Clark, '\  "in  the  sublime  scene,  with  its  grand 

"surroundings,  impressions  were  made  which  time  can 
**  never  efface." 


*  In  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  f  In  his  History  of  the  Second  Company. 

24 


136  KECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  EEGIMENT. 

Oh  'twas  a  gallant  day, 

In  memory  still  adored — 
That  day  of  our  sunbright  nuptials 

With  the  musket  and  the  sword. 

— Private  Miles  OReilly. 


The  Regiment  numbered  a  thousand  men,  all  loyal.  It 
is  questionable  whether  any  other  organization,  mihtary 
or  other,  of  equal  numbers,  presents  such  a  record. 
What  though  a  few,  supposed  not  half  a  dozen,  who  had 
served  in  the  Corps,  some  of  them  many  years  previous, 
and  having  become  estranged  from  the  principles  of  honor 
and  patriotism  which  had  for  so  long  a  time  been  the 
distinguishing  characteristics  of  its  members,  proved  false 
and  recreant,  and,  as  ''Copperheads,^^  took  the  side  of  trai- 
tors and  rebels,  yet  the  Regiment  was  true ;  its  thousand 
gallant  and  patriotic  hearts  all  beat  in  honor  and  loyalty 
to  the  great  national  cause,  and  in  unison  with  their  early 
and  constant  training — Pro  Patria  et  Gloria. 

Shortly  after  the  tour  of  garrison  duty  at  Fort  Hamil- 
ton, in  1839,  the  narrator  removed  from  the  City,  and 
remained  away  for  several  years;  and,  of  course,  could 
not  be  so  close  an  observer  of  the  course  and  action 
of  the  Regiment.  The  various  "turn  outs,"  marches, 
encampments,  and  excursions,  and  the  whole  subsequent 
career  of  the  Corps,  must  be  left  (doubtless  to  the  great 
relief  and  satisfaction  of  the  reader)  for  more  modern 
membership  and  more  competent  hands  to  narrate. 


REOOLLKCTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  Igf 

The  Corps  did  not  lose  its  distinctive  character  nor  its 
identity  when,  in  1847,  in  the  new  arrangement  and  re- 
organization of  the  MiUtia  of  the  State,  its  numerical 
designation  was  changed  from  Twenty-seventh  to 

SEVENTH    REGIMENT; 

but  the  same  "National  Guard"  as  it  had  been  in  the 
beginning,  it  was  then,  and,  it  is  hoped,  will  ever  be;  bear- 
ing, clustering  around  the  proud  recollections  of  its  origin 
and  "early  days,"  and  of  its  prompt  and  gallant  services 
in  sustaining  the  civil  authorities  whilst  it  was  the 
"  Twenty-seventh,^'  the  more  recent,  fresh,  and  brilliant 
honors  and  distinctions,  acquired  under  its  later  designa- 
tion, "The  Seventh;"  still  lifting. 

"  *      *      its  starry  flag  on  high 
To  fill  with  light  our  troubled  sky;" 

and  has  extended,  not  only  over  our  own  City  and  State, 
but  throughout  the  whole  land,  and  even  to  the  highest 
military  circles  of  Europe,  the  reverberations  of  its 
renown. 

The  old  members  and  friends  of  the  Corps  were  much 
interested  and  gratified  at  a  striking  manifestation  of  its 
power  and  influence,  as  displayed  in  an  incident  that 
occurred  in  1857. 

In  the  month  of  June  of  that  year  a  noted  high  City 
functionary  found   himself   arrayed  against  the  judicial 


138  EECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

authorities;  or,  rather,  the  judicial  authorities  arrayed 
against  him.  He  had  surrounded  himself  with  a  large 
force  of  his  myrmidons  to  prevent  the  service  of  a  war- 
rant issued  by  one  of  the  Courts,  and  was  determined  to 
resist  arrest.  They  had  actually  beaten  back,  in  a  bloody 
struggle,  the  officer  having  the  process,  backed  by  a  strong 
poUce  force.  At  this  juncture  the  Regiment  happened  to 
be  passing  down  Broadway,  in  full  force,  bound  on  an 
excursion  for  pleasure  to  Boston.  On  its  being  perceived 
by  the  civil  officer  who  was  resisted  and  kept  at  bay,  he 
demanded  its  interposition  to  his  support,  and  the  proper 
forms  of  requisition,  orders,  &c.,  being  hastily  gone 
through,  the  General  being  present,  the  Regiment  was 
wheeled  into  the  Park,  and  halted  in  front  of  the  City 
Hall.  The  thud  of  its  "order  arms,"  sounding  through 
the  aisles  and  passages  of  the  building,  reached  the  ears 
of  the  recusant  official,  giving  him  notice  of  its  presence, 
which  "struck  more  terror  to  his  soul"  than  all  the  thun- 
ders an^  menaces  of  the  Courts,  backed  by  an  army  of 
policemen,  had  been  able  to  do;  he,  realizing  in  a  moment 
"the  situation,"  and  startled  from  the  equanimity  of  his 
fancied  security,  cowering,  and  with  blanched  cheeks,  at 
once  succumbed.  The  supremacy  of  the  law  having  been 
thus  asserted  and  re-established,  solely  through  the  influ- 
ence of  its  prestige,  and  "the  power  of  its  great  name," 
the  Regiment,  after  but  a  brief  detention,  "shouldered 
"arms"  and  resumed  the  march,  on  "its  winding  way" 
to  its  destination. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ^gO 

A  few  days  afterwards,  having  returned  to  the  City, 
the  Regiment  was  on  duty  for  several  days  and  nights, 
deahng  with  the  celebrated  "Dead  Rabbits"*  riots,  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  "Five  Points" — a  sequence,  and  part 
and  parcel,  of  the  turbulent  proceedings  inaugurated  at 
the  City  Hall. 

It  may  well  be  imagined  that  the  "  wonted  fire  "  of  the 
Veterans  of  the  Corps  was  not  a  little  excited  and  aroused 
on  witnessing  the  Regiment,  the  pride,  boast  and  glory  of 
their  "early  days,"  start  up  at  the  first  gun  of  the  rebel- 
Uon,  and,  without  pausing  or  waiting  for  preparation, 
march  on  the  instant,  and  in  advance  of  all  other  organiza- 
tions^ A  THOUSAND  STRONG,  of  its  own  members,  at  the 
urgent  call  of  the  National  Government,  "in  the  hour  of 
"its  dark  and  trying  necessity,"  to  the  protection  and 
preservation  of  the  National  Capital,  menaced  by  rebels; 
thus  realizing  all  its  early  promise,  and  justifying  the  con- 
fidence of  its  friends.     Indeed, 

"  Hope's  young  promises  were  all  made  good ;" 

their  gallant  Corps,  with  "its  wealth  of  ancient  fame," 
proved  itself  still  first  and  foremost  in  availabiUty,  loy- 
alty and  strength;  and,  as  it  had  ever  been,  in  discipline, 
and  in  the  confidence,  and  interest,  and  afiections  of  the 


*  "On  the  eve  of  the  4th  of  July,  a  gaug  of  thieves  and  desperadoes,  known  as  the 
« Dead  Rabbits,'  made  an  attack  upon  a  few  policemen  on  duty  near  their  haunts,"  Ac. 


190  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

people  of  the  City;  for,  with  the  same  unhesitating 
promptitude  and  alacrity  that,  when  in  its  ranks,  they 
had  so  often  witnessed  it,  in  its  "early  days,"  spring  to 
arms  at  the  call  of  the  magistrates,  it  now  rushed  forward, 
with  its  own  artillery  and  camp  equipage,  to  present 
itself,  ready  for  instant  action,  before  the  President  of 
the  United  States  and  the  General-in-Chief, — the  largest 
Regiment,  it  is  believed,  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  this 
country — perfect  in  its  organization,  complete  in  its  equip- 
ments and  appointments; — its  personnel  and  materiel,  and 
the  perfection  of  its  discipline,  the  wonder  of  all,  military 
men  as  well  as  others,  who  beheld  it. 

After  securing  the  safety  of  the  Capital,  and  fulfilling 
all  the  requirements  of  the  Government,  and  sending 
forward  from  its  ranks,  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Nation, 
a  greater  number  of  men,  its  own  members  and  its  eleves, 
than  was  furnished  by  any  other  then  existing  organiza- 
tion in  the  United  States,  not  excepting  even  West  Point, 
the  especial  protege  of  the  Government,  the  Regiment 
still  maintained  its  organization,  discipline  and  strength 
intact,  and  up  to  the  highest  standard;  standing,  en  re- 
serve, always  ready  to  respond  at  any  moment,  as  it  did 
several  times,  to  like  sudden  calls  from  the  Government. 

Among  the  men,  estimated  at  more  than  eight  hundred 
in  number,  including  the  former  members  of  the  Regi- 
ment, who  entered  the  National  service, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  |Q]^ 

Three*  attained  the  rank  of  Major-General; 
Nineteen,  Brigadier-General; 
Twenty -nine,  Colonel; 
•  Forty-six,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

When  the  Regiment  was  first  "mustered  in"  at  Wash- 
ington, on  the  26th  April,  1861,  General  McDowell,  of 
the  United  States  Army,  the  mustering  officer,  as  he 
approached  one  of  the  Companies,  paused,  in  evident 
surprise,  and,  turning  to  the  Captain,  remarked:  "Why, 
"  sir,  you  have  a  Company  of  officers,  not  private  soldiers;" 
which  might  be  said,  as  well,  of  every  Company  in  the 
Regiment;  and  the  expression  is  strikingly  verified  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  long  list  of  the  "fallen  brave"  of  the 
Regiment,  all  but  two  or  three  held  the  rank  of  commis- 
sioned officers,  ranging  from  Lieutenant  up  to  Colonel. 


It  is  a  notable  circumstance  that  quite  a  number  of  the  members  of  the 
Regiment,  gentlemen  in  character  and  by  education  and  position,  filled 
with 

"  A  manly  thirst  for  martial  fame," 

but  who,  notwithstanding  their  eminent  qualifications  and  fitness,  were 
unable  to  command  any  of  the  mysterious  "influences"  that  so  sti-angely 
and  capriciously  direct  the  granting  of  commissions,  have  adopted  the 
expedient  of  enlisting  as  privates  in  the  Regular  Regiments,  where  they,  of 
course,  at  once  attract  the  notice  of  their  officers,  and  are  made  Sergeants, 
and  most  of  them  have  been  rewarded  with  commissions  in  the  Regular 
Army,  for  bravery  and  meritorious  conduct,  and  all  will  doubtless  find  that 
the  readiest  route  to  eminence,  sparing  them  the  humiliation  of  "  bending 
"the  supple  hinges  of  the  knee"  in  sycophancy  to  political  ^' injlne7ice," 
"that  thrift  may  follow  fawning." — Notes  on  the  Colors  of  the  National 
Guard 

*  As  stated  by  Msyor-General  Dix. 


192  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Every  stricken  field  of  the  war  sends  back  testimony 
to  the  gallantry  of  the  men  of  the  Regiment;  and, 


"  Go  where  loyal  graves  lie  foremost, 
There  the  Seventh  claims  its  dead  I" 


The  soil  of  Gettysburg,  Ball's  Bluff,  The  Wilderness, 
Fair  Oaks,  Bull  Run,  Baton  Rouge,  drank  their  blood, 
poured  out  like  rain; — Bristow  Station,  Donaldsonville, 
Cedar  Creek,  Charleston  Harbor,  Murfreesboro',  and  the 
Shenandoah  Yalley,  and  Malvern  Hill,  and  Olustee,  and 
Port  Hudson,  and  Fort  "Wagner,  consigned  many  of 
them  to 

"  *     *     the  long,  deep,  blessed  sleep 
Of  the  battle-field's  holy  ground." 

From  Andersonville,  the  charnel  prison-pen  of  the 
accursed  Confederate  rebels,  the  spirits  of  our  murdered 
appeal  for  eternal  vengeance  on  the  base  authors  of  the 
terrible  suffering  and  lingering  death  of  the  prisoners  of 
war  doomed  to  the  tortures  of  that  horrible  hole. 

And  Antietam,  too,  and  Gaines'  Mill,  and  West  Vir- 
ginia, Great  Bethel,  Kulp's  Farm,  Cold  Harbor,  Camden, 
Manassas,  Spottsylvania,  Petersburg,  and  many  other 
fields  where  skirmish  and  battle  occurred,  received  the 
tribute  of  the  life-blood  of  the  men  of  the  Seventh, 
offered  up  on  their  country's  altar — the  shrine  of  patriot- 
ism and  of  loyalty  to  its  Government. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  J 93 

In  the  contemplation  of  their  gallant  deeds  and  glori- 
ous death, 

"  The  tear  that  we  shed,  tho'  in  secret  it  rolls, 
Shall  long  keep  their  memory  green  iu  our  souls." 

The  walls  of  the  several  Company  Rooms,  at  the  Regi- 
mental Armory,  are  studded  with  the  memorials  erected 
by  the  living  to  their  brothers  "fallen  in  the  great  strug- 
"gle,"  and  "whose  bones  lie  mingled  with  the  soil"  of 
every  State  where  battle  was  done,  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Georgia,  and  Florida,  and  Louisiana. 

The  First  Company 

INSCRIBES  ON  ITS  TABLETS  THE  NAMES  OF  ITS  GALLANT  SONS, 

Captain  George  Le  Fort, 
Captain  Theodore  Russell, 
Captain  J.  J.  Trenor. 

The  Second  Company 

REARS  A  MEMORIAL  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Captain  Henry  H.  Alden, 
Colonel  Noah  L.  Farnham, 
Captain  Eugene  Kelty, 
Lieutenant  Silas  A.  Miller, 
Sergeant  Gurdon  L.  Phipps, 
Lieutenant  D.  Yon  Postley. 

The  Third  Company 

DEVOTES  ITS  MONUMENTAL  MARBLE  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Lieutenant  Robert  McD.  Hart, 
25 


194  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

Lieutenant  John  A.  Baker, 
Captain  Frederick  Hurst, 
Captain  H.  G.  Radcliffe, 
Captain  Samuel  G.  Mulligan, 
Lieutenant  W.  R.  Tremain. 


The  Fourth  Company 

CONSECRATES  ITS  TABLETS  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  ITS  FALLEN  BRATE, 

Colonel  Alford  B.  Chapman,* 
Captain  Edward  A.  Harrison, 
Colonel  James  E.  Mallon, 
Lieutenant  John  E.  Moies, 
Captain  Samuel  H.  Starr. 

The  Fifth  Company 

DISPLAYS  ON  ITS  MEMORIALS  THE  NAMES  OF 

Lieut.-Col.  Thomas  J.  Addie, 
Captain  A.  Biddle, 
Captain  George  W.  Bissell, 
Sergeant  Augustus  Fleet, 
Lieutenant  William  H.  KiNGSLAND,f 
Captain  George  W.  Lewis, 
Lieutenant  Henry  N.  Timolat, 
Lieut.-Col.  George  Tucker. 


*  Herced,  in  the  battle  of  The  Wilderness,  by  three  bullets,  one  near  the  heart,  he 
fell  from  his  horse,  and  calmly  remarked  to  his  men,  "/  am  mortally  wotmded,  danH 
"  cwrry  me  back,  let  me  die  at  the  front" 

\  Andersonville. 


recollections  op  the  seventh  regiment.  ^95 

Company  6 

PERPETUATES  THE  MEMORY  OF  ITS  NOBLY  FALLEN  SONS, 

Captain  H.  Arnold, 
Captain  E.  A.  Cowdrey, 
Captain  Asher  M.  Ellsworth, 
Captain  H.  Hicks, 
Colonel  Robert  G.  Shaw,* 
Lieutenant  Charles  G.  Smedberg, 
Lieutenant  Cha!iles  F.  Van  Duzer. 


The  Seventh  Company 

DEDICATES  ITS  TABLET  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Lieutenant  A.  S.  Bogert, 
Captain  Louis  H.  Lent, 
Captain  Fitz  James  O'Brien, 
Captain  George  A.  Morey, 
Lieut.-Col.  George  H.  Stevens, 
Captain  William  J.  Williams, 
Private  William  E.  Schenck. 


The  Eighth  Company 

KBEOTS  ITS  SPLENDID  MONUMENT  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Private  J.  Lawrence  Keese, 
Captain  S.  A.  Mellick, 
Adjutant  Lewis  0.  Parmelee. 

*  Fort  Wagner, 


x96  recollections  of  the  seventh  regiment. 

The  Ninth  Company 

INSCRIBES  ON  ITS  MEMORIAL  THE   IMMORTAL  NAMES  OF 

Major  Theodore  Winthrop,* 
Captain  William  Wheeler, 
Sergeant  Fordred  Drayson. 

The  Tenth  Company 

EMBLAZONS  ON  ITS  WALLS  THE  NAMES  OP 

Lieutenant  Milnor  Brown, 
Adjutant  Charles  A.  Gadsden, 
Captain  J.  Henry  Plume, 
Major  Clifton  K.  Prentiss, 
Captain  Henry  A.  Sand, 
Captain  Robert  Seabury,  ' 
Captain  Wright  Staples, 
Private  Edward  B.  Welles. 

The  fields  that  were  consecrated  by  their  blood,  and 
the  earth  that  enfolds  their  remains,  will  long  be  cher- 
ished in  the  memory  of  their  comrades  as 

"The  free  heart's  Holy  Land." 

The  present  "narrator"  here  closes,  with  an  earnest 
protest  against  the  outrageous  and  infamous  desecration 
of  the  great  and  glorious  name,  around  which  the  Begi- 

*  Great  Bethel 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  ig'J 

ment  had  gathered  so  much  distinction  and  wide-spread 
renown,  by  its  being  appropriated  bylaw  to  the  "ra^, 
^^tag  and  bob-tail"  the  whole  of  the  Militia  of  the  State, 
who  all  don  it,  and  strut  and  pompositize,  apparently 
imagining  themselves  transformed,  as  by  some  Prospero\s 
charm,  into,  and  looked  upon  as,  the  veritable  National 
Guard  of  forty  years'  standing  and  character. 

A  striking  evidence  of  the  great  popularity  and  the 
strong  hold  upon  the  public  mind  the  Regiment  had 
attained,  is  found  in  the  numerous  imitations  and  assump- 
tions of  its  distinguishing  appellation,  and  insignia,  and 
decorations,  by  others. 

The  "National  Guard"  was  the  first  and  only  Corps 
to  adopt  and  establish,  or  dream  of  establishing,  a  ^^  Coat 
^' of  Arms"  with  Crest  and  Motto,  all  in  proper  heraldic 
order,  as  a  distinguishing  insignia;  taking  the  National, 
State  and  City  armorial  bearings,  and,  united  with  the 
military  insignia  of  the  title  of  its  own  arm  of  service, 
with  its  own  cipher  cognozance,  all  combined  as  proclaim- 
ing its  fealty  and  devoir  to  its  constituted  rulers,  and  in 
the  order  of  their  supremacy.  Following  its  lead,  many 
others  strut  out  with  all  sorts  of  imitations  and  close 
resemblances,  showing  how  highly  the  idea  was  appre- 
ciated; and  some,  with  such  manners  as  they  happen  to 
have,  do  not  hesitate  to  copy  entire  what  they  do  not 
seem  to  comprehend;  very  much  in  the  manner  that  mod- 


198  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

ern  snobbery  enters  a  heraldry  shop  and  offers  to  buy, 
with  his  money,  anybody's  coat  of  arms  that  the  shield 
and  crest  may  happen  to  strike  his  fancy  as  grand  and 
flashy. 

One  modern  Regiment  displays  a  certificate,  the  most 
prominent,  and  apparently  most  appreciated,  embellish- 
ment of  which  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  Shield  of  the  Seventh 
Regiment,  only  varying  the  initials  of  the  appellation  of 
the  Corps;  and  some  copy  it  exactly  and  entire,  "stop, 
"dot,  and  comma." 

The  establishment,  in  these  latter  days,  of  the  Associa- 
tion of  Veterans  has  had  a  marked  effect  in  reviving  old 
feelings  of  interest  in  the  Regiment,  and 

"  Wakening  thoughts  that  long  have  slept " 

in  the  minds  of  many  of  the  former  members  of  the 
Corps;  amongst  whom,  for  many  years,  there  had  been 
growing  up  a  desire  for  some  sort  of  an  organization  of 
old  members  that  would  have  a  tendency  to  recall  and 
continue  the  social  relations,  and  perpetuate  the  attach- 
ments and  intimacies  that  had  existed  with  them  while  in 
service  in  the  glorious  old  Corps,  around  which  centered 
so  many  happy  recollections.  Finally,  on  the  evening  of 
February  8, 1859,  a  few  (eight)  of  the  old  members  assem- 
bled at  the  Armory  of  Company  6  (at  La  Fayette  Hall, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  -[QQ 

Broadway),  and  instituted  measures  for  the  formation  of 
such  an  Association,  which  resulted  in  the  organization 
of  the 

"VETERANS  OF  THE   NATIONAL  GUARD, 

AN  ASSOCIATION    OF    THE    BETIRED    MEMBERS  OF  THE    SEVENTH,  FORMERLY 
TWENTY-SEVENTH,   REGIMENT  N.  Y.  S.  M. 

Instituted  in  1859. — Incorporated  by  the  Legislature,  1861. 

The  objects  of  the  Association  are 

The  Promotion  of  Social  Union  and  Friendship 

BETWEEN   FORMER  AND   PRESENT   COMPANIONS    IN   ARMS, 

and  to 

Continue  the  Recollections  of  Service  in  the  Regiment, 

and  to 

Create  a  Fund  for  Useful  and  Benevolent  Purposes." 


The  anniversary  of  the  issue  of  the  General  Order  of 
the  first  of  October,  1825,  detaching  the  Corps  as  a  sepa- 
rate command,  and  officially  recognizing  its  name  of 
"National  Guards,"  was  fixed  upon  by  the  veterans  for 
the  festal  day  of  their  Association — its  ^^ Anniversary,^^ — 
to  be  observed  with  all  due  honor  and  distinction,  and 
celebrated  with  festivities  and  enjoyments,  and  pleasant 
reminiscences  of  former  associations  and  services,  in 
"  auld  lang  syne  "  in  the  ranks  of  the  Regiment. 


"  Handing  the  treasures  of  its  glory  down, 
Bright,  brighter  than  before." 


The  following  list  of  the  officers  of  the  Association  in 
January,  1863,  presents  the  names  of  several  who  were 
identified  with  the  Corps  years  before  its  organization 


200  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

under  its  present  name,  and  whose  interest  in  its  progress 
and  career  has  continued  unabated  through  that  long 
period  of  almost  half  a  century;  and  they  all  have  been 
asssociated,  at  various  times,  with  most  of  the  prominent 
events  and  services  that  have  so  steadily  advanced  the 
character  and  reputation  of  the  Regiment,  down  to  the 
present  time. 


BOARD  OF  MANAGEMENT, 
January^  1863. 

Linus  W.  Stevens,  Colonel ; 
"Washington  R.  Vermilye,  Lieutenant-Colonel; 
Philetus  H.  Holt,  Major. 
AsHER  Taylor,  Adjutant;  Thomas  M.  Adriance,  Pay-Master; 

Rev.  Samuel  D.  Denison,  Chaplain ; 
John  H.  Quackenbush,  Quarter-Master; 
Gilbert  L.  Arrowsmith,  Commissary. 
Captain  Wright  F.  Conger,         Lieutenant  John  M.  Davies, 
Captain  Theodore  W.  Todd,         Lieutenant  George  R.  Hegeman, 
Captain  Abraham  Denike,  Lieutenant  William  O'Brien, 

Captain  Cyrus  H.  Loutrel,  Lieutenant  Matthew  E.  Baker, 

Captain  William  A.  Pond,  Lieutenant  Jackson  S.  Schultz, 

Captain  James  W.  Halsted,         Lieutenant  Andrew  Hoogland, 
Captain  Ephraim  B.  Place,  Lieutenant  D.  I.  Marriner, 

Captain  William  D.  Briggs,        Lieutenant  Edwin  R.  Tremain. 


A  considerable  number  of  the  old  members  of  the 
Regiment  came  forward  at  once  and  identified  themselves 
with  the  new  Association;  and  many  of  the  modern  and 
younger  ones,  as  they  become  eligible  by  the  service 
of  a  full  term  in  the  Regiment,  are  also  enrolling  them- 
selves in  its  ranks;  and  it  bids  fair  to  soon  occupy  a  posi- 
tion, in  strength  and  respectability,  and  of  prominence  in 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  201 

the  public  estimation,  consistent  with  the  objects  of  its 
institution,  and  its  relation  to  the  Regiment;  which,  too, 


"Whilst  along  the  stream  of  time  its  name 
Expanded  flies,  and  gathers  all  its  fame," 


will  be  surrounded  by  a  devoted  band  of  thousands  of  its 
past  members,  all  retaining  a  lively  recollection  of  their 
old  connections,  and  distinctions,  and  enjoyments  in  its 
ranks,  and  keenly  aHve  to  whatever  may  promote  or 
affect  its  prosperity,  its  character,  or  its  fair  fame;  and 
also  maintaining  an  endless  chain  of  interest,  and  sympa- 
thy, and  association  between  the  services,  and  enjoyments, 
and  distinctions  of  the  present,  and 

THE  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  ITS  EARLY  DAYS. 


And  now,  all  Honor,  and  Health,  and  Strength  to 

The  Gentlemen  of  the  Seventh  Regiment; 

and  Glory,  and  Triumph,  and  Renown  to  their 

GALLANT  CORPS, 

"wherever  they  may  go,  and  wherever  their  Colors  may 

"be  advanced." 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT.             1 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or       1 

OQ  the  date  to  which  renewed.                         1 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall.          " 

DAVIS 

INTER-LIBRARY 

LOAN 

JUN  2  7  1967 

TT^oiA    Rn™  7  •««                                     General  Library 
"-^i^tst'oHiel'                            Univers^^ofCalifornia 

YE  G9452 


■,\ ''■'/ 


i  .     ^:)  ■ 


■*'r-K 


1 


